


Trust the Process

by TerraSorcerer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dragons, F/M, Fantasy, I need a life, I suck at writing but I love the idea, I will be updating tags as I go, M/M, Not rape but arranged marriage, Phoenix - Freeform, Pidge is 16, Shiro is 18, Violence, dragon rider au, griffons, i need some sleep, send help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-01-30 11:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12652584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraSorcerer/pseuds/TerraSorcerer
Summary: The continent of Altea hides in the Pacific, Gods placing it there to serve as a time capsule, as a place to hold worshipers hostage. The last refuge of mythological creatures and a breeding ground of wars between the factions that align with the creatures they tame. In this place dragons started fighting with griffon's over the sacred sight of Daibazaal, within a month a war breaks out. Many can not help but feel maybe this was started by Gods themselves since the two factions had found peace for nearly a century. Though they may not know the answer of the Gods that lurk in shadows, and the constant rewriting of their sacred texts and history, one thing is clear.When all else fails, trust the process.(the rape/ non-con tag is because of arranged marriage, I want to cover my bases)





	1. Storm the Library

The deep roll of thunder stages the raid perfectly. Pounding rain and roaring wind smothers the sound of twenty foot wings flapping heavily in the night. Two men in leather armor ride on the backs of these scaly beasts, heads ducked low to protect themselves from the freezing rain. The two men slowly closed in on the target, a library of the enemy troops. Within the marble walls a map of the opposing capital, the last piece of knowledge needed to end this war. Lighting flashed in the distance bringing day to the stormy skies. 

Lost deep in thought the young soldier is whipped back into reality as an arrow buried itself in his dragons shoulder. The grey beast roared in anguish, fire spewed from its mouth in the direction the arrow came from. Much to the dragon’s dismay the flames quickly died. A voice called out from the rain, pain saturated the familiar voice.

“Shiro, I’ve been hit! I thought they didn’t know we were coming!” Shiro’s eyes locked on Matt and his dragon Rover. A long rod protruded from  Matt’s leg. Rover looked ready to kill the archer who hurt his partner. Rover had a slightly more effective, but dangerous weapon, lightning. Shiro watched it open its great jaws before sending a thought to his beast to stop the lightning. Naila, his dragon, used her tail to slap shut Rover’s jaws.

“Good call! We would have all died.” Matt said nervously.

“They don’t know they hit anything since Naila’s fire went out immediately, they will be here to capture us soon, we need to turn back!” Naila began to turn when a sharp screech pierced the story air. The griffin tackled Naila from the front. Shiro reached for his sword and slashed upward, a clang signaled the other rider had the same idea. The two dueled whilst the more wild beast struggled, barely staying airborne. Shiro’s blade clanged endlessly against the enemy’s. Slashing down, the unfamiliar rider rose his sword up horizontally, blocking the hit. The stalemate continued, the two locked eyes and glared trying to scare the other. Rover’s roars and Matt’s screams broke Shiro’s focus. Shiro looked away to see Matt’s staff fall to the earth below, a griffons talons exit Rover’s chest gripping a mass. Matt’s opponent grabbed him, hitting his head with the hilt of a sword.

This moment of lost focus caused Shiro’s enemy to slip his sword out from under Shiro’s avoid the blade and slice off his right arm. The griffon over powered Naila and tore her wings to shreds. The last thing Shiro remembered was falling to the earth with Naila.

  
  


Shiro woke up in a cave, Naila looked weakly at him, Shiro looked to his right arm, or lack thereof. The wound was cared for, burt and covered in moss bandages, the work of an intelligent dragon.

“Thank you Naila, can you move?” A low groan and sigh from his companion signalled the answer. Shiro know how weak she was, no dragon lays for so long. Her wounds most likely became infected, life being slowly sapped from her body. Death stalked his dear friend. He stroked her head, he knew his duty, to spare her from a slow death, but first he had one more question.

“Where is Matt?” Naila gave him a pained look, a tender feeling graced his mind. Dead, Matt died. Such tenderness from dragons was only reserved for helping with grieving. He sighed, delaying the inevitable would be a sin, a damning one at that. He rose, using the cave wall as support. Stumbling he approached Naila, her eyes searching his. Shiro dug around the saddle pack, finding the spare blade. He gave her a pleading look, a way of asking if he had to do it. She touched his mind with warm memories of their lessons and training, a yes. Tears filling The soldiers eyes he drove the blade into her skull. The warmth left his mind, leaving him cold and alone.

Eating rations and drinking water from the storm he rested for three days. He gained his strength, he prepared a walking stick from a branch and prepared for the long journey home.

  
  
  


It had been a month since they were supposed to return. Each day killed her more and more, awaiting her brother’s return. She fiddled with the scrap metal Hunk gave her while lying in bed.

Katie would never believe Matt and Shiro died, her father had given up but she wouldn't. Her brother promised to come home and teach her how build basic telescopes when he came home. Shiro promised to teach her how to use the dagger he gifted her. The two had to come back. Boredom haunted her constantly, as woman she could not venture outside unattended. She was lucky to be taught how to read and write, lucky to have friends like Lance and Hunk who lent her their school books and scrolls to read, and lucky to have a family that was willing to teach her about the world. 

Katie picked up the green dagger, inspecting it in her hands. She knew the basics, knew how to forge it, due to Hunk teaching her how to forge the blade. She slashed forward, smiling happily holding the memory of her friend and brother in her hand. Bells rang and awoke her, they rang for returning soldiers, yet no patrols were scheduled to return. Katie ran to her father, who was putting on shoes to investigate. Sam Holt escorted his wife, Colleen, and daughter outside to the gates into the city. They waited while the man with the telescope tried to identify the dot in the distance. Silence fell on the crowd, the tense nature of the event, every widow whose husband’s body was not found waited to hear any news hoping for a safe return.

“Its Shiro!” The man cried joy in his voice.

Just Shiro.

Time slowed.

Sam shook his head.

Colleen cried.

Kaitie fell to the ground on her knees.

An escort carriage passed by, speeding towards the man in the distance. 

It was clear Matt wasn’t coming home now.

 

The quiet mumbling from the room over made the entire situation worse. As a young lady Katie could not participate. The town had gotten nervous, the death of Matt holt spread rumors that the two most powerful families were at each other’s throats. To remedy this situation the Takashi household came to the Holt house to discuss plans to calm the city. The two heads of the house had been talking for what seems like hours before they fell quiet. Shiro entered the room and sat next to her. She had gotten used to his lack of right arm.

“They want us to marry” He spoke with confidence, looking at her, but he couldn’t hide the sadness. This was his father’s idea, not his. To him Katie was an old friend, only two years younger than himself. The 16 year old girl had barely come of age to marry, and he himself was still young to tie himself down. 

“Then they can take that idea and shove it up their-”

“There is another option.” Shiro interrupted, looking down at the ground. “Neither of us can really say no, but we can request time for me to court you, to wait and see if that fixes it so we don’t have to wed.”

“Why can’t we forsake the Gods and turn away from this bullshit.”

“Because we have to trust the process” A deep voice interrupted. Shiro’s Father, Mr. Takashi, entered the room. He stood an inch or two taller than Shiro, with the same skin tone and black hair. His body was slightly slimmer than Shiro’s and his eyes were a deep brown that commanded the utmost respect.  “A lady should watch her language.”

“So you heard us-” Pidge started, only to be interrupted again.

“And speak only when asked to.” He looks at Shiro and sighs, “As much as I hate to put a fine young man with an ill mannered lady we have no choice in the manner.”

Shiro stood and glared at his father.

“Please let me court her first, for the sake of helping us both heal from the loss of Matt.” Shiro pleads. His father looks as if he is about to process then sighs.

“Fine, but in three months you will be married.” Mr. Takashi walked out the door, taking no more negotiation, leaving the two to themselves.

Shiro offered his left hand to Katie, she accepted it standing up. A gust of wind blows through the window, carrying with it a feather from a pidgeon. It lands in her hair, Shiro gives a genuine smile, it may be small, but at least it was something. 

“Pidge” Shiro chuckles. “That's your name now”

All Pidge thought was that at least it’s an old friend she was arranged to marry.


	2. Dreams of Legends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -TerraSorcerer

Pidge’s nose was buried in her favorite book, The Tales of Voltron. The book was forbidden for women to read, it had tales of female riders, or Paladins, who saved the world from tyrannous Gods. She dreamt of joining them one day, soaring the skies on the back of a great dragon. This would be impossible though, the Voltron dragons went into hiding not long after the God of Death defeated the Black Paladin. Feeling as if they could not protect their Paladins they hid from the world, only to emerge when they were needed.  Her imagination was ripped from the book as Shiro dropped a book, he stood silently, before gently whispering out a prayer of apology. Silence was necessary today. This was the biggest holiday in the dragon factions, Montzeal. Today young men will journey up the mountain to the dragon den to hopefully find a dragon to ride. Everyone must remain silent in mourning of the countless young souls whose fates are sealed today. Shiro picked up the book and sat down beside Pidge. In courting he had to be by her side at all times except the night, they could not share a bed until they are married. Pidge glanced out the window to see her friends Lance, Hunk, and Keith heading toward the mountain. She wondered what they were thinking out there.

As it turns out Lance was panicking. His father was the right hand man to the God of The Sea himself. The entire city expected him to bond with a water dragon, but it's been three years and no results. He had one more shot left and if he missed it there was no doubt he would be considered a failure in the eyes of his family. Lance took the time to glance over at Keith. Keith and Lance always had a rivalry to get a dragon first, but neither has succeeded. The two were very different and as such no hatching year was likely to take both at the same time. While Lance was small in frame with long limbs and great aim with a bow, Keith had more muscle on him, was slightly shorter and relied on a blade and hand to hand combat. 

Lance’s father was out at sea most of the time, leaving him as the man of the household. His mother felt secure with her son running things. He grew recently, learning how to take care of a family, how to farm, and how to shoot the seabirds out of the air. This morning he even said a true prayer to the God of the Sea, sacrifice and all. He was desperate to get a dragon and be by his father’s side. It took an hour or so of walking in silence to reach the base of the mountain. All three got on their knees and began walking. This shows their humility, that the dragons are greater than them. The ascent took hours even though they traveled on a path. Their knees ached and bled but they had to keep going. Every gust of wind threaten to throw the group off the monolith. About halfway up they could hear the dragons play fighting. Eventually after seven hours of climbing they reached the summit. Together they stood, Hunk was shaking, Lance gulped nervously, and Keith started sweating. 

After a bit of walking around the Elder Dragon approached them, blessed by the God of Language he could speak to humans.

“None of your dragons lie here, this place holds not your destiny.” Lance felt anger bubble inside him.

“SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THEY ARE IN A DIFFERENT CITY!” Every creature on the mountain fell into silence. Lance could be killed for this act of disrespect. Devoured in a single bite, or made to bleed out slowly. 

“No, but they are not here, you must leave and never return.” Mercy was shown, the Elder turned and walked towards the next group of trainees, escorting two of them to awaiting dragons, the other had to walk down alone. 

The three walked down in silence. They could stand on the way down to make the descent faster, though the legend says Shiro walked up and down on his knees until he was chosen. Lance’s mind was blank until he reached the base. The three went separate ways. Lance walked home dragging his feet in the road, he felt non-existent eyes on him. A feeling he gets every year he is rejected, like a creature watching him. A small tug on his heart made him face the western side of the mountain. He had no idea why he felt this,  he ignored it wanting to go home and be with his family. Then the thought occurred, he would have to tell his mom and brothers about what happened. He took a left turn on the intersection instead of a right.

He was going to visit Katie… er Pidge. It took maybe fifteen minutes to reach her house, knocking on the door, Shiro answered. It had been three weeks since he started courting her. He immediately went to the guest room and collapsed on the bed to sleep.

He would not be resting today.

 

He was on the back of a blue dragon flying fast towards another dragon who looked more like a mountain, most likely to blend in with the mountain chain in which he lived. Flying in circles around him hitting him with jets of water and ice. The tail of this behemoth rose and slapped down. Just before it hit Lance a red dragon tackled the blue one.

“Watch out dumbass!” The familiar voice belonged to Keith. He was on the back of this red dragon. Just as fast as he came he flew off. Lance sprung back into action, picking up his bow and impaling the beast with arrow after arrow. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flash of green and heard an oddly female voice.

“Hunk break its wings! We can’t have it taking off!” Definitely Pidge. He took a minute to watch her and her dragon noticing something odd. The pattern of the dragon’s scales looked like trees swaying in the wind, the white on her stomach formed a V, just like the dragons of Voltron… 

He looked down at his dragon, scales reflecting light like water, blue as the sea and just at vibrant. He was bigger than an average dragon and clearly more agile. Lance hollered as he realized he was a paladin of Voltron. Blue soared towards the eye of the beast. Lance shot it right in the eye. The following roar could be felt in the chest of every creature, shaking well grounded rocks and causing loose rocks to fall and form a rockslide. Banking over the head he saw a bulky yellow dragon dive, gaining speed it hit the middle of the wing where the bones are the thinnest. The crack rung loud, the behemoth turned around and snapped at the yellow paladin who dove just in time to escape the powerful jaws. That must have been Hunk doing his job.  The foot of the beast swing up, launching Hunk into Lance. The two hit the westward mountain. Their dragons laid stunned barely being able to rise. The light forming in the behemoth’s mouth spelled their fate, it grew brighter. Right before it was released a black and red dragon flew in between Lance and Hunk shielding them. Lance opened his mouth, screaming.

“Lance!” Shiro shook Lance’s shoulders, waking him from this nightmare. Lance stared at Shiro, noticing his concerned yet curious look. “Lance what were you dreaming of?”

Lance took a deep breath.

“Voltron.”

About ten minutes and a cup of tea later Shiro sat down with Lance and Pidge at the table. He held a book in his hand, the brown leather cracked from age. The ‘V’ in the middle worn down so it was barely recognizable. His expression serious, clearly thinking of something worth breaking the silence over.

“Pidge has had these dreams over the past few days, Keith told me about his, Hunk claims he has had weird Voltron dreams, and I started having them since Naila died. I think it means something.” Shiro opened the book reading it carefully. “It says ‘Each Paladin, picked by its Dragon, will receive dreams of their final battle. If they accept their fate they will seek out the Dragons, if not then the Dragons will seek them.’”

“So you think we are meant to be Paladins?” Pidge leaned over the table, hands cupping her cheek. A twinge of excitement in her eyes.

“Maybe, but none of us have been led to our dragons, coincidence is not causation.” Shiro said firmly followed by a sigh. “Maybe the Gods are playing with us.”

“I have felt it.” Lance states, Pidge and Shiro gives him shocked stares, not believing what they heard. “I felt a tug wanting me to go to the western side of the mountain, maybe its a dragon calling me.”

“Guards swarm that place, there is no chance we can slip in and out unnoticed.” Shiro commented.

“Not on our wedding day, guards will all be attending our wedding it and guarding our families due to our status, any guard at the mountain will probably be rookies.” Pidge had a cocky smile, a plan forming in her head.

“So you guys sneak out of your wedding, we meet up at the base of the mountain, go in and get our dragons.” Lance rubs his hands together and furrows his eyebrows, the idea of being a glorious Paladin of Voltron filling him with excitement.

“Who wants to tell Hunk and Keith?” Shiro asks, laughing a bit at Lances overall expression.

“I will, I have training with them tomorrow.” Lance smiles. He glances out the window, seeing the sun set reminded him he has a family to return to. He winces, feeling ashamed, yet he knows he can not stay in a house hosting a lady in courtship. “I have to go home.”

Shiro nodded and lead him to the door, waving him goodbye. Lance slowly walked home, arriving at his door right as the sun hid behind the sea. His house was built on a cliff overlooking the sea his father loved so much. He entered the house expecting to see his mother, instead he stands in front of his father.

“So I heard you are dragonless.” he sighed.

“Yes dad.” Lance expected to be yelled at, instead big arms wrapped around him, pulling him into an embrace. He laughed.

“Its ok, we have a farm, a fishery. There is more for you in this life. Go to bed, rest, I will tell Jocelyn for you.” Lance smiled knowing he won’t have to tell his mother. Quietly he climbed the stairs and laid down in bed. He smiled and fell asleep, only to dream of Voltron again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, the reason there isn't much explanation into the traditions and culture is because it makes me feel weird. You are joining someone in the middle of their life. How many times do you do something in your day that explains your life entirely and the 8,000 year history of your culture? Never. I will work on a chapter that is an entire explanation of the culture, but this is one I built in my mind for a while for this. Gods with backstories and a creation story that can be explained at the story goes through interactions. To me the exposition in the middle of everything kinda seems weird and stupid, but that's just me. I also suck at writing if you have any criticism I would love to use it to improve my overall skill. Please leave a comment to better my development as an author.


	3. Relationship Growth

Blue dove, the rough waves of the ocean rushing towards Lance. Lance pulls himself into the dragon, making the surface as smooth as possible before the frigid water engulfs the two. Blue swims down, determined to make it to the bottom of this storm ridden sea. It's been almost a minute and Lance panics, he is running out of air he grips his dragon pulling up, but to no avail. Minute and a half he breathes in water. The cold rushes into his lungs, Lance expects death but nothing comes. He takes another breath, then another, and yet he does not drown. Panic leaving his body he reaches for Blue’s sapphire neck, rubbing it gently. He hears a gentle growl in return. He takes in the beast, her horns are a lighter blue, like the sky, they follow her body creating a streamline form to help her dive. On her cheeks are fin like structures, held to her by a green pearl. Her head lacks any other ornaments. Her body follows the same streamline pattern, sapphire and built for diving. Her feet have shorter claws than other dragons but are webbed. Lance turns around to examine her tail. At the end two deep blue flaps move up and down in sync with her body, propelling her forward. He notices Blue pulling up and growling. Suddenly from the bottom of the sea rushes up a monster. Serpent like with a diamond in between its eyes, six fins dot its body giving her great maneuverability. Her blue-green body circled around them. Blue spun with her never breaking eye contact. The serpent’s head reared back and suddenly lunged forward hissing teeth outstretched and-

Lance shoots up in his bed, the sweat making his sheets and clothes stick to him uncomfortably. He curls his legs into his body, sitting in the fetal position. Lance already felt done with this Voltron crap. How could he function when he was being woken up every night by some really old dragons who just want to be famous again? At first he was excited but after a week of non stop nightmares it was just getting too much for him.

He needed to relax, unfolding his body he reached up and grabbed the bow off of the side of his wall. He saw the ornate carvings in the wood and traced his fingers over it slowly. His brother was always considered to be an artist. Marco had been the best archer the academy had seen, every target had multiple arrows sticking out of the middle. On his second try he was gifted a dragon of the air, swift and agile. He rose in the ranks of the army quickly, he became their best shot, but it all ended many winters ago. The griffins invaded, the city was in chaos. The city’s children and elderly were being herded to the bunker for safety. One got separated though, a little boy Lance never got a good look at. Marco found him and was in guiding him back when a gryphon rider dove for them. He could not grab the child and survive, he wasn’t quick enough. Instead he positioned himself over the child and gave himself for him. His body bought just enough time for his dragon to arrive and kill the griffin and its rider, but it was too late. Marco would die that night, not before handing his signature bow off to Lance. As Lance went through the academy he proved to be average with the bow… average in everything really. Lance sighed, grabbing the bow and leaving the house.

Two right turns and a left later he was at the academy training arena. In the front right area was where the target dummies were. It didn't take long for Lance to start shooting. He only hit dead center three times,  the rest fell on the shoulders and hips.

“Lance? Skipping out on the beauty sleep today?” Keith seemed to have apparated behind Lance.

“With a face this pretty, the sleep is just for my pleasure not for my looks.” Lance tried to sound like his normal self, but was failing. Keith noticed this.

“Lance, you have bags under your eyes that are as big as mine. Have you been dreaming of Voltron as well?”

“Why can’t you just sugar coat things for once, its too early to talk about this.”

“If not here then when.” Keith knew Lance wasn’t going to leave this conversation. “So, Blue Paladin. What are we going to do about this.” It was just like Keith to be a few steps ahead of Lance’s thoughts. Lance sighed and explained everything. The plan, his two different dreams, what Shiro had said.

“It sounds solid, I mean no one will really be paying attention when there is food and partying.” Keith had accepted his status as Paladin, worrying less about becoming a Paladin and more about how the plan will work out.

“The real question is whether or not you will mess this up, remember Veronica’s wedding where you ate the cake early.” Lance gave him that cocky grin he gets when he teases Keith.

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME I COULD EAT IT!” Keith had really fallen for that. How was he supposed to know you can’t eat a cake that has been on display in a banquet hall for at least three hours. He was hungry and Lance said it was fair game so of course he took a slice! “At least I didn’t shoot Commander Iverson eye with a practice arrow!”

“I have to show off my aim to the ladies somehow.” Lance winked and made the index and thumb open, everything closed gesture. Where did he keep getting these gestures? Keith would never know, but what both Lance and Keith knew was that if Voltron included days of no trouble and close friends, they could get used to being Paladins.

* * *

An uncomfortable silence fell over Pidge and Shiro. If the gods were watching they would surely enjoy this standoff. Who would break first? Who would ask the question they were both turning over in their heads? Shiro tapped his left hand on the wooden dining room table, breaking the silence. They had time to plan, Sam and Colleen Holt would not return for a few days. Sam had requested an audience with the prince himself, and much to his surprise he had been given a day to show off his new invention to the heir and try to attract investors from the capitol city. Sam had brought his wife, but not his daughter. It is unwise to bring an unwed lady into the home of this prince.

“So… someone has to say that neither of us are ready of be paladins.” Shiro said slowly. He was not wrong. Shiro had been disarmed and Pidge had never truly trained with a weapon. Matt never had the time to train her to use the dagger Shiro gifted her.

“Are you kidding me! This is the best chance for me to find Matt. I am not going to give this up!” Pidge stared down Shiro from across the table, her eyes blazing with determination. She had overheard Shiro describing the battle with both his and her father. She refused to give up hope that he was alive. Shiro sighed rubbing his left temple.

“You are untrained and I can’t wield my sword without my right arm.” Shiro said, slipping into the same tone he uses on new recruits. “My left had a gauntlet I used to use for blocking blows, and since it was never as strong as my right arm it could take years before I am able to use a sword in my left hand as effectively as I did my right, and just as long if you are to be fully trained as a rider.”

“Then we should get started!” Pidge practically leaped out of her chair, running to the stairs before Shiro could protest. Shiro took the alone time to think. He had the same strange dreams since he lost Naila. He went through it in his head once more.

* * *

It always started with him at the front of a V formation. He sat on a black and red dragon. Its the majority of its scales were ask black as coal, but along the joints, neck, horns, and wings of the dragon were veins of bright red scales. He would gently stroke its neck, encouraging the beast to fly faster. Then glancing to Keith and his red dragon on his right, and then to Pidge on her green dragon to his left. He smiled at her before turning as far to his left as he could to look at Lance and Hunk behind him.

“Alright! We have shot to send this beast back into its slumber, if we do this it will be another milenia before the Shar’nox will have to be defeated.” He kept it simple. What more could be said, that hadn’t been before they went out to fight the Shar’nox. Turning back around he stared down at the mountain-dragon.

Shiro grasped the weapon on the belt of his white and black armor with his left hand. It was just a hilt but within moments a blade appeared from it. He pointed it up and forward, a silent cue to engage. He entered a dive, Pidge splitting off and Keith staying to his right until they just about reached the ground. As Keith pulled off and began to make his way to the beasts feet Shiro made work of the area surrounding the beast. He focused on pouring his life energy, his quintessence into his right arm, as it charged it glowed a bright white. Once satisfied Shiro dug his right hand into the Earth as his dragon flew in a circle around the Shar’nox. If he could draw exactly what he was instructed to then the beast could be contained, or that’s what Allura said. About two thirds of the way he had to rise from the ground, the beast’s roar of pain had caused a rock slide he would rather not get caught under. Just as he rose to the beast’s shoulder level it raised its front right foot, swatting at the Hunk. The yellow dragon was thrown into the blue dragon with so much force both went flying into the westward mountain side. Neither the blue or yellow dragon were rising. He watched as the Shar’nox opened its mouth, a white light shining.

“No!” Shiro yelled urging the black dragon to fly as fast as it could. He grasped the spikes the dragon’s neck, pushing forward. This annoyed the beast, but this is how you communicate the urgency. It dove fast, putting itself between the incoming blast and the two incapacitated paladins. He heard Lance’s scream, then nothing.

* * *

This is when he would usually jolt awake in his bed, covered in sweat. He would try to move his right arm, only for it to be gone. He would pour over the book containing city census data, searching for this ‘Allura’ his dream self had thought of. Nothing. Where did his right arm come from? Who is this Allura? Maybe he would find out once he became a paladin. Maybe the Gods really were just messing with him....

“Hey Shiro I have something for you.” Pidge caught Shiro’s attention. She had changed into a pair of pants and a green shirt, much more suited to training than a dress. In one hand she had her dagger, in the other she held a sword he did not recognize, it was green and brown. It looked lighter than a normal blade. His eyes locked onto the letters engraved on the hilt of the sword.

MATT HOLT

“It is lighter than normal swords, Matt used it before he found out he much prefered staffs.” She held out the blade to him. “He wouldn’t want it going unused. You knew him so well… He would want you to have it.”  She had a sad smile, her eyes were so close to letting the tears fall. Shiro rose slowly and walked towards her, pulling her into a hug.

“He would be proud of you, stepping up to be a Paladin. He always loved the stories of Voltron.” Shiro spoke gently, letting Pidge cry into his chest. She dropped the two weapons to wrap her arms around him. This was the first time the two had shown this much physical affection towards each other, even though they had been ‘courting’, that didn’t mean much. It didn’t matter if they tried to love each other, they would be married to keep the city calm. It would not be long until the official proposal made, dates set, and fate sealed. The two agreed it best to keep it platonic, as to not ruin their bond. Shiro began to rub circles on her back. He slowly spoke. “I will train you if you agree to stay strong and keep moving forward, not as some lady to be married off and made property, but as Pidge, the woman who will forge her own path regardless of what men think.” He stared at the top of her head, “I am sorry I couldn’t protect Matt, I would trade my life for his if I could. He was the smartest man I knew, if he had a few more years I am sure he would change the world.” Pidge looked up, catching his eyes for a brief moment before pulling away.

“We should start.” Pidge bent down, picking up her dagger and Matt’s sword, going to the courtyard. Shiro followed a few feet behind. Upon entering the courtyard his eyes fell on the family flag that flew in the center. The flag had red, black, blue, and yellow stripes running down it in a diagonal from each side. Meeting in the center to form a V, on top of the V rested a green dragon. Pidge’s familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“So where should we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with college applications as well as mostly done with high school. For the first time in four months I have had time. Thank you to anyone who was patient with me. I am tired, I am going to bed.
> 
> Goodnight Everyone,  
> TerraSorcerer


	4. How to Plan a Highly Illegal Activity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are wondering why the training school is called the Academy and not the Garrison, it's because I didn't feel the Garrison name fit the world of this fic, and sorry for the amount of dialogue. I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel it was needed, next chapter there will be much less dialogue much more action.

No one wanted to tell Hunk about his status as a Paladin of Voltron. The last thing they needed was Hunk locking himself in his room, wrapping himself up in blankets and deciding to test the theory that the yellow dragon will come find him. Instead, Shiro devised the plan of the century, the plan to rival Lord Molar’s siege to capture the sacred site Daibazaal, which ended the first griffon-dragon war. They invited Hunk to help train Pidge and Shiro after he finished helping his father at the forge, and once he felt comfortable with the training they would all tell him. Hopefully the presence of so many friends would help calm his worries, but it was still noon and they had a few hours to burn so they started the training.

Shiro and Keith had been practicing under the shade of an sturdy pine tree in the right corner of the yard. Pidge was running through the warmups that Keith showed her with a wooden dagger, stopping to occasionally push her hair out of her eyes. She slashed at the dummy, ducking and moving, running through an imaginary battle in her head. Lance on the other hand… was on edge. The pull on his soul had strengthened in the few weeks since he started having these dreams. He didn’t know how long it would be before Blue’s pull on him would feel like she was ripping his soul out of his body. He bounced his leg, his eyes were on Pidge but his mind wasn’t. He could almost feel those blue scales, the water in his lungs…

“Lance is there anything I can improve?” Pidge had stopped to look at Lance and ask for advice. He immediately noticed her weak stance, her knees pointed slightly inward, other than that she was pretty decent at this.

“You should keep your knees pointed outward.” He sounded out of it. Pidge picked up on this pretty quickly. She raised her eyebrow.

“Lance you ok?”

“I don’t know, the dragon is just being REALLY ANNOYING PULLING LIKE THIS!” He yelled the last part as if the blue dragon could hear him. Lance had started to dig his nails into his legs, sweat appearing on his brow. The commotion caused Shiro to glance over at them to see what was wrong. Taking note of the pained look on Lance’s face he quietly told Keith to stop the sparring so he could go over and talk to Lance. He approached slowly, as if he was approaching a frightened animal.

“Lance how bad does this hurt?” Shiro asked slowly.

“Like someone is grabbing my guts and moving pulling a bit.” Lance looked up, the bags under his eyes showing. Shiro knew this wasn’t a good sign, if there were bags showing it meant Lance was so sleep deprived even his skin care routine was failing him. Shiro needed to distract Lance from the pain somehow. Suddenly he got an idea.

“Why don’t you spar with Pidge, you could both use the practice with a dagger.” Shiro knew how competitive Lance could get. Hopefully he would take the bait.

“I don’t know how long I can stand feeling like this-”

“I will buy whoever wins a cookie from Hunk’s mom,” Keith interrupted Lance’s complaints. Keith shot Shiro a the famous ‘you owe me one’ look. Shiro smiled and watched as Lance stood and grabbed a wooden dagger off the weapons rack. Shiro and Keith decided to act as coaches for the two.

Lance and Pidge stood at either end of a square drawn in the center of the courtyard. Shiro can still remember sparring with Matt in this square. He remembers the advantages one can get here.

“Pidge you need to be faster than Lance, don’t bother going for the benches for high ground, you are too short and him too tall for it too matter much. What you should focus on is using his height to your advantage.” Pidge looked up at Shiro with a confused look. “You are faster than him and shorter, if you can stay out of his reach and go under his arms to get in a good hit you will be golden.” Pidge looked nervous, she had only been training for a few weeks, and even though Lance only had basic Academy training with a dagger, that was still more than her. She did have one advantage, her dragon wasn’t pulling on her so she could focus more than him. She couldn’t hear what Keith was saying to Lance, but he was nodding and wiping the sweat from his brow. After a while the Pidge and Lance walked to the center of the square. The two paced around each other slowly,  not knowing who would strike first. Lance grew impatient and stepping forward while slashing downward just barely missing Pidge, who had hopped dropped down and rolled to the left to avoid the attack.

“You gotta be faster than that Lance!” Pidge taunted. Lance didn’t feel angry at this, he found the interaction funny.

“Hey! You finally found some use for your height!” Lance said as he repeated the same attack, only diving after her to catch her and wrestle her to the ground, pin her, and disarm her, “but you will never be as good as me, Lance the hottest man, the best fighter, the ‘already better than Keith with a blade even though that's his thing!’” Lance had forgotten about the pain he was in, focussing on the adrenaline rush.

“Hey I am the one who taught you! At least I didn’t break my wrist during training because I landed on my own dagger! How did you even manage that!” Keith shouted from outside the square, not one to be taunted. Lance took a breath to respond, slightly loosening his grip. Pidge seized the opportunity, pulling her legs to her chest and kicking him in the chest with all her strength. He was shover off of her, he was shocked at her sudden escape. She used the moment of vulnerability, kneeing him in the face sending him to the floor. He was out cold.

“Did you really have to knock him out? Good thing I brought ice.” The three conscious members of the training group turned around to find Hunk standing at the entrance of the courtyard. “My dad let me leave early since he hit his thumb with the hammer. I brought sandwiches though. Oh! And little dragon cookies I thought you would like.” Hunk started rifling through the basket he brought with him, pulling out small cloth bags, handing one to Pidge and the other to Shiro.

“Thank you Hunk.” Shiro placed his bag, which was damp and cold from carrying the ice originally meant for their drinks, on Lance’s head. He then turned to Pidge, “He would have beat you if Keith hadn’t distracted him, you can’t heavily favor one side when dodging or else in the heat of battle your opponent will catch you and kill you.” Pidge stared at the floor and Shiro felt a tinge of guilt “but you did good for your first sparring lesson, I remember mine it took all of five seconds for me to be disarmed and then publically scored in my class.”

“No way! Matt lasted ten seconds in his first sparring lesson!” Pidge felt pride that her brother had lasted longer than Shiro had. Her wide smile showed this, then her stomach rumbled and the group decided to take a break to eat. After a while Lance had come back to life and slowly made his way over, sitting in between Hunk and Pidge. The pull had ceased, hopefully it would stay that way for long enough for Lance to relax for a bit. They spoke of many things including Hunk’s problem in the Academy, always being kicked out of class because he threw up too much when riding the trainers dragon, or how Keith once punched a classmate in the nose for making sexual comments about Pidge. He almost got expelled for that one. Then Keith brought up a topic they were avoiding on purpose.

“Hey Shiro when are they going to make you guys make it official.” Keith had been wondering this for a while, in his classes he heard a few rumors being spread about how much time Shiro and Pidge had been spending together in town, some were about sex, others about Shiro trying to replace Matt, but sooner or later rumors would leave the classroom and bleed into the ears of high ranking adults.

“It's not up to us, my father will decide when the best time to do it is. After the official engagement it won’t be more than a month before we are married. I wouldn’t surprised if he already booked different temples and has a timeline and just has not told me. He can be quite strict like that.” Shiro looked a little annoyed at his father, it was a very real possibility he had this all planned.

“I mean it’s going to happen anyway might as well get it over with.” Keith countered, he never understood people who tried to delay their marriages, it was a fact of life here. Your parents pick who you marry and that is that. No one really cared what you felt, whether or not you loved the person.

“That doesn’t matter, Pidge and Shiro clearly don’t want this, let them take their time.” Lance countered, having a different opinion. He would fight to marry the person he loved, delaying an arranged marriage as long as possible. He sympathized for Pidge and Shiro, wanting to help in anyway possible.

“I have to agree with Lance on this one, that is a little inconsiderate,” Hunk chimed in in between bites of his sandwich.

“I mean there is nothing they can do to stop it though, with the two most powerful families in the city deciding this it won’t be long” Keith countered, “hasn’t Shiro’s father already received Halessa’s blessing for the marriage. It’s a big deal to receive a blessing from the Goddess of Marriage herself.”

“She can go-”

“I am right here guys! Thanks for asking my opinion!” Pidge shouted over Lance, not hearing him complete his sentence. Everyone fell silent. “I don’t want to marry, I hate the idea of being locked in a house cooking all day for a man I don’t love like that, or be stuck anywhere at all really. I don’t want to be tied down. I want to be like my father, a scientist and inventor. Not a housewife.” Her frustration with the situation showing

“And I won’t force you to be.” Shiro gave her a comforting look, and a small smile. “Just because we are married doesn’t mean we have to act like it.”

“Yeah especially if we are Paladins of Voltron. No one can stop us if we are famous warriors flying around the world defeating monsters!” Lance stood up and started striking poses speaking with the energy and excitement of a small child.

“What do you mean Voltron? I didn’t sign up for this, what are you guys talking about?” Hunk asked nervously. Everyone else gave Lance a death glare, he immediately looked embarrassed. It didn’t take long for Shiro to start speaking to calm hunk down.

“Hunk all of us know about those dreams you have been having. The ones of Voltron. Well those are a calling, it’s either you find the dragon or it comes for you. I am sorry Hunk but this is how it is, if I could change it I would.”

“No no no no no no. I have a future, my mom’s bakery and my dad’s forge to take over. I have Shay to marry in a few years. Why should I give that up? I don’t want to go and be a Paladin.” Hunk’s eyes displayed his distress. Lance put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Voltron wouldn’t be calling us if they didn’t need us. I think something big is about to happen and unless we stand up and act everything we know may be destroyed.” He used a calming voice he only used for his younger siblings.

“Lance is right,” Shiro started, “if we don’t act no one will. Paladins are only selected when needed. Hunk if we don’t do this, everything you have to look forward to, the bakery, the forge, most importantly, Shay, may be destroyed. If you won’t do it for us, then do it for her.” Hunk bowed his head, picking at the grass growing out from between the bricks.

“Is there another way, I am not a fighter at all. I can’t do this. I need to leave.” Hunk rose up only to be met by Keith grabbing his wrist to pull him down.

“You can’t we don’t have a choice!” Keith raised his voice. “If you don’t go along with it Voltron will force you by any means necessary, are you willing to put everything you love at risk just because you don’t want to do this.”

“Keith calm down.” Shiro scolded Keith, who glared back. “Hunk, Keith is right. You have to help, whether you like it or not.”

Hunk looked at the grass in between the bricks and began to pick at them.

“Okay, if it means my family and Shay will be protected I will do it.” Hunk lifted his eyes up to look at Shiro, who was giving him an encouraging smile. “Besides you will need a cook to make sure you don’t get food poisoning. Can I still use my warhammer though? It’s the only thing I am comfortable with, but it’s not a traditional weapon of Voltron.”

“There are no rules saying ‘swords only.’ Use what you are most comfortable with, it will be better for everyone here.” Keith reassured Hunk, “So we need a more indepth plan. What is it, Shiro?” The moment Keith asked Pidge jumped up and grabbed a map of the area.

Pidge spread the map out on the ground as the other four gathered around in a circle, using rocks to hold it down flat. Shiro pointed at the central temple, the one to the King of Gods. “Since we cannot get married at Halessa’s temple in Daibazaal we will most likely be married here. It is pretty far from the mountain.” He pointed to the central mountain where Lance felt the pull. He then pointed to a plot of land where Shiro’s father had a small house built for the two when they wed. “So the plan is as follows, the night before the wedding each of us grab a bag and choose a weapon of choice, some food, and good riding clothes. At the wedding we will go along with the night, party, have fun and act natural. When Pidge and I are taken away to be moved into our house to consummate the marriage-”

“WHOA, hey we agreed no touching between you two!” Lance was fuming, he felt protective of Pidge, everyone was. They were trained to protect women and children in the Academy.

“Let me finish” Shiro said calmly “but once we are left alone we will exit. Hunk, since we will most likely be jumping from the second story window, I need you to be down there to catch us. I will give you the schematics of the house I copied later, it will have the window I need you to be at.” Hunk nodded, looking slightly nervous. “Then we will pick up our hidden supply bags with our weapons food and clothes, then head up the mountain. Lance grabs the blue dragon and we make our escape. Do not tell anyone this is going to happen. We cannot risk the priests knowing.”

“Sounds good, but why can’t the priests know?” Hunk asked, skeptical of the plans, “Are we about to do something illegal, I don’t want to be a wanted criminal.”

“Was I the only one paying attention in history class?” Keith looked around, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Technically I never went to school, but dad got me a tutor because he thinks everyone should be educated no matter what their gender is.” Pidge smiled at Keith’s annoyance.

“The King of the Gods sealed Voltron away so evil cannot use its power to end the reign of peace he brought.” Keith took in the faces of Lance and Hunk, both shocked and now slightly shaken. “Or at least that's what the books say, it doesn’t matter now, the moment we were chosen we became criminals. What's done is done.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Lance turned to face Pidge, fuming.

“I thought you knew.” She smirked as she bit into a dragon-cookie.

“Look it's either we go for Volton or it comes for us. So if you want to sit around on your ass and wait that’s your choice.” Keith’s voice was dripping with his frustrations with the group. The inaction drove him crazy.

“We aren’t saying we won’t go, just mad you didn’t tell us straight out we were outlaws now.” Lance spoke calmly, but there were undercurrents of anger. Shiro decided to call off the meeting before the tensions got too high and Lance or Keith said something they would regret.

“Pidge and I need to bathe and get dressed, my father is visiting tonight and I last time I showed up in informal clothing he threatened to take off my other arm.”

The others gathered there things and left for the night. Lance and Hunk inviting Keith to go out to dinner with them, and when he disagreed Hunk simply picked up the smaller paladin and carried him away. Pidge watched Shiro leave to go home and bathe before returning with his father, and she quickly bathed in the family bath house before slipping into a dress and combing out her hair, thinking about how she should really get it cut before she rides a dragon. Her father returned from his work, the money he earned from the capital allowing him to work on his idea for a better farm plow which was sure to sell. He came in covered in sawdust and coal.

“Did the engine work this time?” Pidge asked,  curious about the status of what he called a ‘steam engine.’

“No, I think it's the wood, it can’t stand the heat and humidity without warping, if only there were a way to temper the wood into sheets before hand and bind them together… it might make them more sturdy.”

“If anyone can think of it it’s you.” Pidge smiled at her father, she had always been inspired by him.

“Hey Katie I need to clean up before the Takashi household arrives, please help your mother unload her books from the carriage.” Sam waited for Pidge to nod before exiting the room to clean the mess off of his face. Pidge rushed outside and grabbed a box of books from Colleen and placing them on a table in the library so that they can be organized later.

“Katie come here, we have to teach you how to cook” Colleen called from the kitchen. Though her family was considered incredibly progressive with how her father made sure both ladies in the household received an education they could put to use, she still had to learn how to cook. Especially if she is to marry a man of such high status. Stepping into the kitchen she felt overwhelmed. She quickly put on an apron as her mother pulled out an old recipe book.

“Ok Katie you just need to follow the instructions.” Colleen pointed towards the recipe they would try tonight. It was simple recipe, stuffed chicken thighs. She could do this…. Could totally do this.

It turns out Pidge could not do this.

It was fine at first, the apple vinegar stuffing went great. Her mother was incredibly proud. But she left in the stove too long, and the fire burned the thighs. Her mother salvaged it though, cutting off the burned bits, which was all the skin from the bottom of the thighs.

“I am sure it will taste just fine.” Colleen kissed the top of Pidge’s head as she set the table. Pidge started setting the food out on the platters, while she was cooking the main dish her mother had prepared the sides. Sam stepped into the dining room, taking the last two plates from Pidge.

“I got it Kaitie, go wait by the door for them, you know how Itsuki can be.” Sam was right, Shiro’s father could be quite strict about what he expected out of his soon to be daughter-in-law. She shuddered at the thought of spending holidays with them, or giving up her last name. After all most women didn’t see much of their family once they got married since they pretty much legally belonged to the husband’s household. She dragged a chair to the door and took a seat. It wouldn’t be long before the men arrived. She played with the white ribbon on her simple green dress for a minute before a loud thud was heard outside. Of course he would want to make an entrance. Mr. Takashi Itsuki had arrived, his gold and silver dragon had just landed in the front lawn of the house. She watched from the window as he hopped off the dragon, Shiro not far behind, then he simply patted the dragons leg and he took off. She opened the door before he even knocked, bowing her head.

“Good evening Mr. Takashi.” She hated this, she felt humiliated. He barely acknowledged her, giving her a simple nod as he walked past. Shiro on the other hand stopped and closed the door.

“Good evening Ms. Holt.” He joked while doing a dramatic bow, his left arm outwards for effect. He was desperately trying to make her happy, he hated seeing her caged like this.

“Shirogane, please refrain from embarrassing me.” The deep commanding voice of his father rung out from the dining room. Shiro walked with Pidge to the table, pulling out her chair or her and taking the seat besides her.

“I think we should cut to the chase Itsuki, why are you here?” Sam seemed slightly irritated at the surprise visit, after all it had been a long time since he had visited and it was always for something regarding Pidge.

“I think we should rush the wedding.” Itsuki stated simply, causing Pidge to choke on the broccoli she had been eating. “The investments given to you by the prince are the only investments we have seen since the rumors of our families fighting began. The sight of our two children together has done much to alleviate these rumors but it simply is not enough.”

“Will anything ever be.” Sam sighed before steeling himself and looking Itsuki in the eyes with a fire Pidge hadn’t seen since he yelled at the Academy instructor for breaking Matt’s arm. “I refuse to marry my daughter off until she is ready, no woman should be forced to be with a man they do not yet love!”

“So you would let the economy of our city fail, let children go to bed hungry because their fathers can’t make enough money to feed them?”

“No, but-”

“That is exactly what you are doing! I could have married her off to the prince himself, to a complete stranger, don’t act like he didn’t show interest in her at the castle.” Pidge clung onto the words Shiro’s father just spoke, she hadn’t heard of this. “I have people, a sacrifice to Halessa and she would be in his bed by next week.” Pidge looked frightened at the idea of being forced to sleep with a man she didn’t know. Shiro saw her pale face and held her hand to calm her.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Silence followed this statement. Sam Holt was now standing, Colleen had pursed her lips, Shiro had been giving his father a glare that could melt stone, but it Pidge who spoke to break the silence.

“I’ll do it.” It came out soft, no one heard, so this time she let go of Shiro’s hand and stood, speaking with the clarity of a dragon’s roar in the winter morning. “I’ll marry Shiro, whenever you need, just don’t tear my family apart.”

“Kaitie you don’t have to-” Her mother started only to be interrupted.

“Yes she does, do I have your word?” Itsuki looked down at her from across the table.

“Yes.”

“Then it is settled, tomorrow Shiro will propose in the town square where everyone can see, and in two weeks time you will be married.” Itsuki eyed Sam daring him to speak up, instead the inventor sat back down.

The rest of the dinner was spent in an uncomfortable silence, occasionally the cooking would be complemented, but other than that no one spoke. Once plates were cleaned of food Shiro and his father stood to leave. Pidge followed them to the door. At the last second Shiro slipped her a note before leaving. Once she cleaned the dishes the Holt’s went to bed without a word. Once in her room and out of her dress and into nightgown she read the note.

‘Pidge take the rope from your father’s work room and at 12 A.M tie it to your bedpost and drop it out of the window.’

She did just that and at 12:15 A.M Shiro climbed up, albeit slowly due to the lack of his right arm. Once up he smiled.

“Good morning.” He slid the bag off his back.

“This better be good if I am staying up this late.”

Shiro took out his flint and lit a candle, setting it down on the floor by the window and inviting her to sit by him. As she did he took out a book, the brown leather cracked and pages yellowed with age.

“This is the official biography of Voltron.” Shiro spoke softly, flipping too page two-hundred. “It says here that ‘The dragons sealed away, kept out of a tyrannical king’s hands, preventing him from laying waste to all beneath his feet.’ do you know who this king is?” Shiro asked, Pidge shook her head.

“I haven’t heard about that in all of the books I’ve read on Voltron, they all say the dragons were sealed away to prevent them from being used against his reign. Nothing about a particular king, nor one of the tyrannical variety.”  Pidge adjusted her glasses before taking the book from Shiro’s hand and skimming through the parts Shiro had dogeared. Each time it mentioned a king but it all was the same. Voltron sealed away from the reaches of a tyrannical king.

“What does this mean Shiro?” Pidge asked worriedly.

“I think it means we should do more research, after all this is just one old book.”

“Yeah I guess it is…” Pidge closed the book to hand it back to him, but he declined.

“Keep it, you love books more than I do, you have more use for it.” Shiro blew out the candle and put the cap on it before putting it in his bag. He smiled at her.

“How did you even get up here? You only have one arm.” Pidge was genuinely curious.

“In the Academy they would tie your dominant arm to your back and make you climb because in battle you never know what hand will be injured.” He smiled as he got ready to climb down.

“We need to tell the others of the rescheduled wedding.” Pidge rubbed her eyes feeling tired, today had been exhausting.

“Way ahead of you, I slipped notes into the windows of their bedrooms.” He laughed. “This is why they pay me the big bucks.”

“They don’t pay you at all.”

“They will eventually, hey you looked good in that dress, I know that sometimes the guys around town say that you aren’t cute but don’t let that get to you.”

“How did you know that… I only put that in my… YOU READ MY DIARY!” but by the she time connected the dots Shiro had repelled down the wall and was running away from the angry Pidge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so, I promise things are going to kick into gear next chapter, like 0-100 I just really needed this long chapter to set it up. I was planning on starting a tumblr for this fic but I don't know how to tumblr. Maybe when I get more than like 12 readers it will be posted. Anyway thank you to the small amount of people who bear with my shit writing I love you all and your happy comments make me so happy and encourage me to write more, but I am going to go work on homework.  
> Until next time,  
> TerraSorcerer


	5. Wedding Crashers

The morning after Shiro’s visit was hectic. Full of bustling around the house, planning for the wedding and opening packages dropped off by a servant of the Takashi household. It contained a timetable of the next two weeks leading up to the Sunday they were to be married, as well as a full schedule of the wedding night. Pidge was happy Shiro had been right about his father having already had everything planned out.

“Are you sure about this Katie? We can find another way; postpone at least.” Sam had placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked concerned and tired. Last night he snapped in a way that was rare for the man, but one should never doubt the length a father will go to to protect his daughter.

“Yes dad, I don’t mind, at least it’s not some stranger.” She shuddered at the threat of being married off to someone she barely knew. She can tolerate Shiro especially if they can avoid the actual married life by becoming a Paladin of Voltron.

“You want to check my invention I got it to work a bit.” Sam smiled wide as Pidge nodded excitedly. He lead her to the old farm fields outside the house. Since their family had gained money and status from Sam’s father’s inventions as well as Sam’s own, they didn’t need to farm, so they let the land go back to its natural state, using it to test if Sam’s inventions could endure the untamed earth. Pidge took a seat on the stairs of the back porch jogged to the strange looking machine. On the front was clearly a plow, on either side sat two wheels, above those sat a wooden cylinder. Under it sat a bowl of coal, supposedly to be set on fire. Alongside the container was tubing and pumps Pidge couldn’t quite make out from her distance. Jutting out from the flow were two handles used for guidance. Sam turned around and gave Pidge a thumbs up, in one hand he held a torch, in the other a water bucket. Hung the bucked from the handle, then walked around the contraption and lit the coal. He then ran to the handle and put out the torch in the bucket.

For about two minutes things were deathly quiet then the machine started to churn and spit out steam. The plow began to slowly move forward. Sam pulled the handles up digging the metal of the blow into the earth. Pidge whooped and cheered as the ground split for the machine, but then it the wood started to give out, rivets coming loose. Sam grabbed the bucket and doused the flame and the machine slowed to a stop. Laughing he turned around and gave Pidge two thumbs up. He walked back to the porch with the bucket and torch in hand.

“Why didn’t the wood catch on fire?!” she asked almost bouncing up and down, she had never seen wood exposed to such conditions that didn’t burn.

“I covered it in a varnish made of fire dragon saliva and crushed up scales, it isn’t heat resistant, but it won’t catch on fire.” Sam ran his fingers through his hair, laughing a bit. “I can’t use metal until the prices go down again, a little too expensive to experiment on.” Before all the rumors the price of iron or bronze was relatively low, at fifteen gold peices a bar, now it was at almost fifty. The Holt household might have money, but not enough to sustain Sam’s experiments for long, and with the upcoming wedding there was no way they could afford the metal.

“Katie, you need to be dressed, Shiro will be here in a bit.” Colleen poked her head out, a smile on her face, but to someone who knew her, it was fake. Pidge’s parents felt for her, their marriage started as an arranged one, but as time went on they found love. Sam refused to kiss her outside of the ceremony until she initiated it, so their children were born into a marriage with loving parents and a good household. As Pidge walked up the stairs to her room, she felt a pull in the deep pit of her stomach. It hurt slightly, and the fact that she was nauseous from the idea of getting engaged today didn’t help. She saw that on the bed lay a light green dress, similar to the one from the night before. Slipping into it, she looked at the mirror on top of her dresser. The dress, the dress was not low cut, seeing as she didn’t have much to show off. The torso  had darker green designs that looked vines climbing upwards onto her shoulders. The dress itself held tight to her body until it reached her waist, then it became loose, but not poofy. She hated it. Well Pidge hated most dresses. They just weren’t her thing, one cold breeze and her legs would feel like ice, especially since this one only went too her knees. She also felt exposed in them, especially when out in public. She sat down on the bed and fiddled with the sheets on her bed, waiting for Shiro to arrive. She began thinking about Voltron and how she would miss her family and how-

“Shiro is here!” Colleen called from the bottom of the stairs. Pidge rose from her bed slipped into her dress shoes and slowly walked to the stairs. She took a deep breath before descending. She watched as Shiro appeared in her vision…

Whoa… Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad… Stop it. She silenced that small voice in her head. She had to admit that he looked good, even in a simple white tunic with a black vest with a gold trim, and even the satchel that sat at his side matched the outfit.

Shiro held out his left hand to help her down the rest of the stairs, and smiled. He listened to Sam’s warnings of what he couldn’t do and when to have her back by. He nodded to every rule set, and lead her outside to the wagon waiting for them. It wasn’t as elegant as the carriage Shiro’s mother used but he never liked showing off his wealth, he would always protest when his father made him ‘dress like the class he belonged in.’ His father’s voice rang in his head from this morning, when he tried to slip out of the house in a shirt and slacks. He never understood why the middle and upper class dressed so differently, and he doesn’t think he ever will. He walked to the front and pat the two beasts tied to the wagon. They were called relox, each stood a solid two feet taller than Shiro. They were rather dog like in some features, their paws and muzzle as well as their ears. They had long legs and tails, the fur ranged from black to orange. The stronger ones were sold to the government and were ridden by Academy members who could not receive a dragon, but rarely did they see war as they were used by the police. He passed the wagon driver a few gold pieces and watched as he smiled, he hadn’t seen such good payments since the economy of the city began to fall. Shiro whispered to take them Balmera Park. Shiro returned to the back of the wagon only to find Pidge already inside.

“You know I wanted to be a gentleman and help you into it.” Shiro complained, but Pidge noticed the slightly elated tone showing that he was only messing with her.

“You were taking too long, old man.” She watched as he climbed in. He sat next to her and feigned a hurt look.

“I am not old, you hurt me by suggesting so,” He began to lean her way as the wagon began to move.

“Don’t Shiro, I am not joking.” Pidge started to push back against his right side.

“Old… Can’t …. Support…. Self…” Shiro fell over onto pidge, almost crushing her in the process. Even though Shiro tended to be the serious of the five Paladins, he was only eighteen, and as such had moments where he wanted to mess with Pidge. Pidge’s muffled words couldn’t be understood from under Shiro’s weight. Eventually she wiggled out from under the meat wall.

“You are a jerk,” she tried to act angry, but slowly fell into a hearty laughter, causing Shiro to join in. “And fat.”

“It’s not fat it’s muscle.” He poked his stomach to show the lack of fat, Pidge responded by puffing out her cheeks and poking them. “Okay Ms. Featherweight.” To that Pidge lightly punched him. They fell into a comfortable silence for most of the ride until Pidge spoke up.

“Why Balmera Park?” Pidge watched the buildings pass by as they slowly moved into the city center. She watched as the poorer children in the city looked up at their wagon as it passed, even though it wasn’t glamorous its orange relox and the clothes they were wearing were signs of wealth.

“It’s public, my father wants the city to know, and hopefully any visiting delegates, that way the word spreads faster.” He was back in serious Shiro mode since he was in public. Pidge fell silent as well, looking down at the floor of the wagon.

Eventually the wagon came to a stop, he stepped out first and helped Pidge down. He escorted her into the park, finding a relatively public spot to sit.

“Pidge in my satchel there is a blanket, can you set it up? It's hard for me to do it with one arm.” Shiro hated asking for help with these simple tasks, he can climb and fight, but he had trouble doing tasks most people would find menial. Pidge didn’t complain or mind, She simply helped put the blanket on the ground. She didn’t pity Shiro, she never has, she just wanted to help when she could. They sat down on the blanket.

“I don’t know you well.” He stated simply. “I mean we are being married next week, where is your family from?” Shiro was determined to know a bit more about his future wife.

“We have been here since the city was founded three-hundred years ago. We were farmers until my grandfather invented a wagon that could withstand the rough roads that connect the cities of our country. Enough traders and merchants bought it that it propelled my family into riches and nobility.” She watched a father play with his two sons in the distance. “What about you?”

“My father arrived here with my mother from the northern province about twenty years ago. He wasn’t the first born, but my grandfather sent him here to manage the southern trade on his products. When my uncle was poisoned and my grandfather died of an infection, father earned all the assets. He relocated all of the manufacturing down here and decided to manage the entire business from the south.” Shiro watched her, she was listening as she watched that family in the distance. “It explains why when I sign my name on anything, or officials say it, its surname first then the given name, or why my name sounds so different from the common names here.” Shiro took notice of the same family she was watching. He lowered his voice so no one would hear the next words.“Have you wondered why there are so many different reason Voltron is in hiding. One says its to protect Paladins, the next is the protect an era of peace, the other is to keep it out of a tyrannous king's hands.”

“Maybe there is something we aren’t being told, but like you said, the books are old. Maybe each author had a different interpretation.” Pidge looked around noticing the priest in purple and gold robes picking herbs off of the ground. Having those robes meant he was a druid, the highest rank of priest, and would not take kindly to talks of Voltron. “I don’t think we should talk about this here.” She nodded towards the priest, Shiro glanced at him and nodded in return. She quickly changed the topic, speaking slightly louder. “You said you had a surprise for me?” She sounded awkward to Shiro, but to a stranger she is a girl talking to a guy in the park. It was his cue, he reached into his satchel and pulled out a gift for her. It was custom to give the girl you intended to marry a gift that you made. Sometimes it was rings, others it was fine clothes, but Shiro had made something for her that he knew she would love. He had carved a dragon statue out of wood for her. It wasn’t pretty, and the silver coat wasn’t the best, but he was working with his left hand. He is starting to miss his right hand, trying to carve Matt’s dragon Rover with only his left hand was a struggle. At least he had thought ahead and started it when he found out he and Pidge were going to be married. He watched as Pidge stared at the medium sized wood carving, she squinted then gasped; recognizing the distinct silver and blue stripes on the belly. She threw herself to Shiro and hugged him.

“Thank you.” Pidge never thought that this would be his gift to her, thinking maybe a pendant or something practical for training, but this was even better. She missed Rover, and how he would let Matt use him to take Pidge on secret flights. This was a big act of defiance for Matt, who normally wouldn't break any laws, but he would always fight Pidge’s concerns. ‘What the lords don’t know won’t hurt them’ was his favorite phrase to calm her nerves.

“I take it it’s yes?”

“Yes.” She was really emotional, and that added to the effect of it all. The adults had stopped to watch the proposal. They had begun to talk to each other, just like they were supposed to. Shiro waited a bit to stand and help Pidge up, bunching up the blanket, and leaving the park. The wagon was waiting for the couple outside the park, Shiro told the man to go back to Pidge’s house before climbing in the back with her. The ride home was met with silence, but the heads of the passengers were full of thoughts. Pidge contemplated whether Shiro’s father would be satisfied with the word getting out. Shiro worried about whether he would ever return home after finding the black dragon.

The ride ended abruptly, yanking the two from their thoughts. He escorted her to the house, saying his goodbyes before heading home. He knew he needed to take a break from all of the stress being forced on him.

* * *

Three doctors visits later Lance still felt quite ill. The pull had become unbearable, he felt as if this soul was being ripped out of his body. Each remedy the doctors tried to provide him failed. Herbal tea? He retched for hours after, vomiting it back up. Acupuncture? The doctor stopped, saying that the needles he put in became too cold to touch. Lance’s father, Damian, ended up having to pull all the needles out himself. Dragon Therapy? The forest dragons refused to see him. The illness had started to get so bad that Damian sacrificed at the ocean altar requesting time with his son, and was granted it. This Thursday morning Lance had been placed downstairs so his mother, Mirana, could watch over him. This also meant he could hear his parents talking.

“Maybe we should summon the head priest, he is the one of the only certified druids currently in the city.” Damian’s voice showed his worry for his son. He had always felt a strong bond with Lance after he lost Carlos, and as such he felt extremely worried for his son. Lance shuddered, the priests all knew of Voltron, and were determined to hide it away. The last thing he needed was a druid of all people finding out he was the Blue Paladin.

“It’s fine.” He tried to reason, only for his father and mother to ignore him. He was too tired to protest, instead passing out on the couch. Only for his father to awaken him when everyone else was asleep.

“Son, is there anything you need to tell me?” Damian had his hand on Lance’s shoulder. “If you don’t tell me we will go see the druid.” Lance gulped.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone, not even mom?” Damian nodded to Lance’s question. Lance took a deep breath before explaining everything. Voltron, his dreams, the wedding plans. It was a gamble, but if there was anyone to be trusted it would be his father. Damian nodded after everything was said and then started laughing.  
“I knew all of that son, I thought you had been cursed with this illness, not that the blue dragon was pulling so hard.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted you to tell me yourself. I learned from the God of the Sea. He plays a role in the choice of the Blue Paladin. It is His home you would be representing and fighting for.” Damian sat besides Lance. “The moment I heard you would be the next Blue Paladin, I couldn’t be more proud.”

“Wouldn’t the God of the Sea tell the King of Gods that Voltron is awakening?” Lance had been sure no God knew yet.

“When has the sea ever yielded to the commands of others? He is one of the only independent Gods.” Damian thought over his words before speaking again. “Every God who has a say in the choice of Paladins is independent. This is probably the only reason you are alive.” Lance gave his father a worried look. “Look its late, get to bed. I will do anything I can to help you. We won’t see a druid, I will tell your mother you ate some old fish and you are still getting it out of your system.” Lance didn’t need to be told twice. He fell asleep soon after his father went back upstairs.

* * *

 

Nothing very exciting has happened in the two weeks since the proposal. She packed a bag with her best clothes for riding and her brothers dagger, dropping it out her window on thursday night Keith picked it up and hid it near the mountain with his. She was fitted for a green ball gown. Today was the day and Pidge’s mother was currently braiding the hair on the sides of her daughters head. Not much could be said. Sam read on the bed of the master bedroom reading about legal ways to end a marriage, occasionally speaking to the two girls at the vanity about some loopholes they might be able to use.

“I am getting tired of wearing so much green.” Pidge sighed as Colleen pulled the two side braids back to pin them to her hair.

“Well when you live with Shiro you will be wearing mostly black. Enjoy the color while you can.” Colleen smiled and pressed a kiss to her daughters head.  “Although I do not approve of arranging a marriage for you, I know Shiro will not hurt you.” Sam hummed from across the room, a strange chord of agreement, distaste, and mild anger.

“If you don’t want to consummate use that dagger he gave you to fight him off.” He opened a new legal scroll and started reading as fast as he could. Sam had already slipped into a white tunic with a dark green vest.

“You know Shiro wouldn’t force anything on me.” Pidge relaxed as her mother finished her hair. The braid on either side of her hair was brought to the back of her head, the rest of her hair was brush back and left free. Colleen looked out the window then to the pendulum clock on the wall.

“We need to get her dressed, Sam go wait downstairs.”

After Sam begrudgingly exited Colleen started assisting Pidge into the wedding gown. First she had to strip down, which she always found embarrassing. First it was the ceremonial… undergarments. Then green corset, which is tight on her even though she is thin. The last thing was the actual dress. The floor length gown was forest green, with nothing much special about it. This helped draw attention to the small curves the dress clung to. The dress was medium cut, showing off her lack luster upper body. Looking in the mirror, she watched as her mother put a simple gold and emerald necklace on her.

“You look beautiful” Colleen said, she always loved her daughter’s small frame and beautiful long hair.

“I don't feel like it.”

“Kaitie…” Colleen smiled at her daughter. “Shiro told me you look great.” This caused Pidge to blush.

“Can we just get this over with.” Pidge started towards the door, slipping into her matching shoes and turning back to her mother. Waiting for her mother to join her in the doorway. She truly wanted to get selling her freedom over with as fast as possible. Her father met her outside the room, catching her attention. Pidge looped her arm around his and let him escort her and Colleen to the carriage. They would be having the ceremony mid-day, it was considered bad luck to be married during the night.

They rode in silence to the central temple in relative silence. No one really felt there was much more to say about the marriage. They already talked about the short notice, how they hated how it was arranged, and that they liked Shiro’s gift… Well there was nothing to speak of until Sam broke some awkward news.

“The prince was invited by Itsuki.” Sam watched the city pass him by. “We should welcome him with open arms, he did fund my inventions.”

Pidge felt too exhausted to care. This wasn’t as bad as finding out that Lance was sick, but was still coming. If Blue was pulling him this much the dragon might not be too happy with the delay. They reached the temple all to fast. The carriage door opened as the city police escorted Pidge out and into the back of the temple. She noted their swords and heavy armor… They were definitely the higher ranking officers. She was locked in a small room while a few druids examined her. There was only one in the city normally, she thought, the prince must have brought his own.

They washed her feet with a sweet smelling oil, then began to incant. A blessing for fertility, she recognized it from the books in the back of the Forest Temple Matt would sometimes take her to worship at. She was almost thrown out and cursed for reading them as a women, but Matt ended up talking them down, apologizing and saying that she was blessed as a young child by the God of Language and Knowledge. She was taken back into reality by the druids draping her in orange robes a clothes, yet another symbol of fertility. Orange was Halessa’s color, Daibazaal’s soil is said to be orange and red because this is where she gave birth to two sons. These two would go on to become the God of Death and the God of Life. Life would become the king, Death would be exiled after trying to usurp the King. Once done they lead her out in front of the altar, where Shiro, the head druid, and a large crowd were waiting. The altar was gold, with various artifacts on it. A flame burned from a small pit in its center, it was used for sacrifices and prophesying.  

Shiro wore mostly black today, the only color being the colors of his mother’s family: white. The black jacket lacked designs or much else. The tunic … er… Button-down shirt was white. She took note of the lack of tunic, she heard from her father this was a new fashion in the capitol, brought in by the prince from foreign land. He called it a ‘tuxedo,’ and was often worn with a ‘bowtie.’ She assumed that this was the strip of fabric tied in a bow like knot around his neck. He looked nice, but not himself. She had no doubt this was chosen by his father to get onto the nice side of the prince who brought the style to our lands. The druids voice filled the hall. This was their cue. They positioned themselves on either end of a small pedestal that held a crystal bowl, she reached out and placed both of her small hands in Shiro’s hand.

“Today the Goddess Halessa blesses us with the union of these two people. Today they shall become one. As Halessa Designs the man will be the body, the strength and mind of this new person, and the woman shall be the blood. She will be his life and vitality, without it the body will die no matter how strong it is.” The druid pulled out a grey steel knife. “Their blood shall join as one in union.” He took Shiro’s hand and cut a long gash into it, after facing so many battles he didn’t even blink. The blood trickled into the bowl for a few seconds before the druid let go of his hand.  Shiro closed it to try and staunch the bleeding, to no avail. He would receive a bandage for the wound after the ceremony. The druid did the same to Pidge’s right hand. She winced at the pain, and watched as her blood joined his in the bowl. The druid took the bowl, and motioned for Shiro to hold her hands again. She watched as he tilted the bowl in different directions, mixing the blood. Pouring it into the flame pit in the altar, the druid stirred to coals watching for signs from the gods. He smiled then faced the crowd.

“Halessa has done more than approve, she has blessed the union. Praise the Gods! Praise the King of All!” The crowd erupted in cheers. Servants from the Takashi household removed the orange robes on Pidge and put a new hooded cloak on her to represent her now belonging to him and his family. The black silk felt smooth on her shoulders, and it almost distracted her from what she knew would happen next. Shiro reached over with his bloody hand and cupped her cheek. It was a calming gesture, soothing her nerves. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Her skipped a beat, but as quick as it had started it ended. He pulled away laughed.

“Can we get some cloth!” He called to the druid across the altar. “I accidentally bloodied her!” The druid smiled and pulled out the cloth he had ready for after the ceremony. He dressed Shiro and Pidge’s cut hands and handed Shiro the spare so he could clean Pidge’s face. Shiro gently dabbed the blood from her face, smiling as he did so.

“Pidge, its ok, you know I am a man of my word. You will still have freedom, and I will do my best to protect your freedom.” He tried to soothe her, to prevent her from crying. It worked a bit, she felt better being reminded that Shiro wouldn’t hurt her, or force her to be a housewife. Shiro gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder before turning to the excited crowd. “The reception is in the town square in front of the Lord’s Palace. Please go and help yourself to food, wine, and song, while my wife and I fill out the necessary paperwork.”

At the mention of a party, the people bustled out of the temple and into their wagons, or carriages, or onto the backs of their dragons or relox. Shiro and Pidge needed to get the surname issue out of the way. Sitting down with the city census director in the back of the temple felt slightly tense to Pidge. She knew better than to speak out of term. If she did she could be reprimanded here. She settled on listening to the conversation.

“Would you like the surname after or before the given name, Shirogane?” Shiro felt slightly annoyed that they were asking him about her last name situation, almost like he owned her. He already knew what she would want so the decision wasn’t hard to make.

“After, just like it is now.” The man behind the table smiled, writing down Pidge’s new name onto the scroll that keeps track of the Takashi family tree, and setting the page to dry. A few more signatures and a fake goodbye later and they too were heading to the reception in the back of a Takashi family carriage.

She never wanted to be married, never wanted to be tied down, but at least tonight she would be escaping on the back of a blue dragon. Shiro looked at her and gave her a small smile.

“Almost free Pidge, just have to make it through tonight.” The carriage stopped and Shiro exited his side, appearing moments after on Pidge’s to help her out. “Just trust the process.” He whispered in her ear.

She smiled and waved at the partiers who all stopped to greet them as they moved to the table designated for them. They sat and watched the people slowly go back to partying. Pidge was never one to dance, neither was Shiro, so they were content sitting back and watching the others. She took note of Lance trying to dance to the drums and horns, but it lacked his normal energy. Even so he spent what little energy he had dancing and annoying Keith by constantly pulling him into the small dance circles that formed around the good dancers. She caught sight of Shay, a tall brunette lady with a strong yet fair body talking to Hunk. She noted her friends similar outfits, each wore a tunic and a vest of their Voltron color. Pidge was so focussed on what her friends were doing she didn’t notice the man approaching her, so the tap on the shoulder causes her to yelp.

“I am sorry, may I have this dance.” Almost as if on command the music turned slow. Pidge turned to face the tall man in a tuxedo. He had pale white skin and piercing blue eyes. His hair was long and strangely white, matching his overall strange complection. “Where are my manners, my name Lotor Claudius Crassus, but to the rest of the kingdom my name is Prince Lotor.”

She couldn’t deny the prince a request, so she looked at Shiro, who nodded and told her to go. She followed the prince out onto the dance floor and followed his lead. He held her right hand and placed his left on her side, a respectful place to put it when dancing with a married woman. She rested her left on his shoulder, apologizing for stepping on his toes the moment the dance began.

“I am surprised you don’t know how to dance, in the capitol a woman isn’t considered ready for marriage until she can dance since the ceremony ends in a dance between the groom and bride.”

“Here dancing, isn’t as important. The kiss at the end seals the deal.” She took note of his strange accent, it doesn’t sound like the rest of the capitol men that stopped by the house to see her father’s inventions when she was younger.

“Yes, yes. I will cut straight to the point.” His voice dropped low so it could only be heard over the music by her. “I know you are the green paladin.”  Pidge gave him a panicked look, the look of a criminal when they are brought to their knees in front of a judge.

“How?”

“My father has connections. He doesn’t know yet, but the Gods know I won’t tell my father everything so they trust me with their secrets.” He smiled “I know tonight you, Keith, Shiro, Hunk, and Lance intend to escape on the back of the Blue Dragon.”

“How does the king know so many Gods?” Pidge couldn’t believe it… Something is off…

“The king might have raised me, but he’s not my biological father. Keep that to yourself, if you tell I will be forced to find you and keep you from speaking again.” He gave her a rather unsettling look. She knew that it wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. Lotor looked up at the sun and its position. “I also know that in five minutes a fight will break out, God of Prophecy told me that one.” He stopped dancing and lead her away from the floor and back to Shiro without even letting her speak.

“The song isn’t over, is there something wrong Prince Lotor?” His concern was only there for Pidge, not for the prince.

“Yes, keep her safe, something is about to go wrong. In three days meet me in my family home in the Altus Mountains.” He turned away, not giving Shiro time to protest. Pidge opened her mouth to explain what Lotor had told her when things went to hell in a hand basket.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-” Lance started yelling in pain, only for Keith to grab him and put a hand over his mouth. Lance collapsed right as the central mountain began to shake. The druids started panicking, they summoned a purple bubble around the town square. Shiro stood, grabbing a dagger he hid in his belt, and stood protectively in front of Pidge. In the blink of an eye the west side of the mountain broke open and blue light poured out of it.

Shit.

 

Lance was still doubling over in pain, countless thoughts were racing through his head, but none were his own. He saw the ocean and its God. He saw the blue dragon, and most importantly he saw the white leather armor with a deep blue V in the middle. Next to it was a strange looking weapon that resembled the hilt of a sword. He screamed more, but the sound was muffled by Keith’s hand. He opened his eyes and saw what was making the druids erect the barrier. The blue dragon was climbing out of the side of the mountain. She roared triumphantly and spread her large wings, showing off her large size. She took the air, staring directly at Lance as she flew. She closed the gap within a minute, landing before the bubble. Opening her maw she let out an icy breath, the bubble showed no sign of breaking, but the druids visibly strained to keep it up. Then Shiro noticed this too, launching himself at the nearest druid and tackling him to the ground. Keith shoved Lance to Hunk and took down the druid behind them. The bubble began to crack. The people inside felt more panicked, huddling with their families afraid that today might be their last. Then it broke, the pain Lance felt was gone, replaced with a slight burning sensation in his right ankle. His mind felt like it had just been dumped in the cool ocean. He ran towards the blue dragon, noticing the white Voltron V on her chest. She roared and threatened anyone who dared try to stop him. He climbed onto her back, discovering the spacious saddle, deciding they needed to get out now.

“Shiro, come on!” He yelled, and Shiro understood.

“Paladins, get on the dragon let's go!” Shiro commanded. Keith and Hunk climbed on quickly. Shiro lifted Pidge up so make climbing up easier for her since she would be slow getting up with the dress and current shoes on. They didn’t have much time, Lance was pointing at the incoming shapes in the distance. The dragon units had been deployed, they had to leave. Shiro began climbing when he saw the smallest glint in the corner of his eyes. He leaned back, but the knife coming towards him grazed the bridge of his nose, causing him to bleed heavily. He knew those knives anywhere. Shiro looked his father dead in the eyes, taking in the anger and disappointment before climbing onto the dragon’s back. With that knife he had been disowned, it wasn’t meant to kill, his father knew Shiro had fast enough reflexes to dodge, instead it was a warning shot. His way of saying that if Shiro came back again he would no longer be welcomed into his family home.

Itsuki had to choose between Shiro and the Gods, and chose the Gods.

Blue took off, turning back towards the mountain which she came from.

“How do I tell her our stuff is down there?” Lance felt nervous at the idea of not knowing how to ride a dragon.

“Think it, try and tell her with your mind, if that makes any sense.” Shiro yelled to the front of the dragon. Lance seemed to understand because Blue made her descent, landing where their bags were stored. They rushed, grabbing them and securing them to the hooks and loops on the saddle. While they were doing that Pidge had grabbed appropriate clothes and was changing into them. She needed help with the corset and Shiro very awkwardly obliged. He then hurried back to the dragon, they only had a few minutes before they were found. They piled onto the dragon at the last second, Pidge tied up her dress and corset into a bundle to be dropped when they flew over the Holt residence. Blue rose and flew over the mountain, causing all the unclaimed dragons to bow as she passed over. After a few minutes they approached the Holt residence. Pidge dropped the ball and watched it fall into the courtyard, but most importantly she took note of what her family had done, it shocked her even if it was tradition for the family of a bride to do.

The flag flew half mast for the first time since Matt had been presumed dead.

Keith broke the hour long silence. “Where are we going to go now?”

“The royal family summer home.” Shiro said sternly. No one bothered to argue with this. All were too tired. They had just been kicked out of their homeland, never to see their families again. They didn’t get to say goodbye. They were beaten, emotionally drained, ragged, and frustrated.

They were Paladins of Voltron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The orange thing was actually inspired by ancient Roman weddings, the rest I made up.  
> Sorry if my writing is off, my family pet is sick and this might be effecting my writings. I would love to post pictures, but I lost the pen to my art tablet so all would have to be pictures of my pencil drawings. If y'all are ok with that or would want to wait for me to illustrate using digital art let me know. I have a tumblr now but haven't posted anything because I am trying to figure this out. I am bad at the interwebs. Well I am going to go do homework, I have a 50 in AP Bio right now.  
> Until next time,  
> TerraSorcerer.


	6. Lotor's Spare Abode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is fluffy and easy because I had a hard week.
> 
>  
> 
> I am sorry I love you. <3

They had flown for three days now. They had reached the snow top mountains where glacial ice was collected to be sold. Hunk had stitched up and closed Shiro’s new face wound with the first aid kit he managed to get together and put in his travel bag. Hunk had learned how to stitch up wounds by watching Shay do it. He missed her, he loved her darker skin and strong yet fair body, and how she cared for everyone she met no matter how despicable they treated her. Hunk was homesick already and wanted to turn back, but he had to stay strong. Being a Paladin would give him the best opportunity to protect Shay from the trouble that might be brewing. Hunk sighed and watched the mountains roll beneath them. The Altus mountains were cold and harsh, but during the summers when the snow melts the mountains spring to life with flowers and animals found nowhere else in the world. Shay would have loved it here.

“Is that it?” Lance shouts pointing the the weathered down castle in the distance. It wasn’t grand by any means, the turrets were crumbling slightly, the walls in disrepair. and the flag flown was tattered and frayed. There was no mistaking this was the flag of the royal family, the white dragon on a black background gave it away. 

“I think so, bring her down Lance!” Shiro guessed they were in the right spot, this was the only castle they had seen in the mountains after a day and a half of flying around searching. Blue landed scattering the snow around her, everyone dismounted. Well, kind of. Hunk fell off the dragon into a snowbank earning a laugh from everyone in the group. Shiro was the one to bring the team back into focus, knocking on the large mahogany door. Immediately after the door opened tempting them in with the gust of warm air that met them. 

“Ah you made it! Come in before you freeze to death.” Lotor meets them at the door, his smile demeanor polite. “Lance, there are plenty of wild goats that live in these mountains for the Blue Dragon to hunt.” Lance turned around and told this to Blue who took off to hunt the moment she was told. 

“How is this place warm if it is in such disrepair?” Pidge looked around, taking in chipped bricks and stones.

“When there is a fireplace in every room going eternally due to the breath of the Red Dragon, the house tends to be warm.” Lotor started walking down the main hall, signaling for his guests to follow. “And before you ask, it was a gift to my ancestor by one of the first Red Paladins. The only reason we do not use it more is the strict laws about Voltron” Lotor had guided them to the kitchen, which only had a usable fire pit at this point, which true to the claim, still had flames burning inside it. Lotor took them down some stairs behind the ruins of a counter. “Which makes it the perfect place to hide this” He opens the door to the basement, revealing a gallery of his collections. A large map of Altea on the back wall, hundreds of books in languages none of them except Lotor recognized, strange weapons, and clothes. Lotor picks up a cube with mixed up colors and hands it to Pidge. She immediately starts fiddling with it, shifting the colors from side to side.

“What is this?” She asks as the others gather around to watch her make work of the cube.

“It's called a Rubik’s Cube. I got it from a land across the ocean as a gift from a friend. The point is to get all the colors together on each side of the cube.” Pidge nodded in return and continued working on it, completing it rather quickly. She put it on the table.

“What land across the ocean? The maps show nothing but us.” Keith crossed his arms, slightly glaring at Lotor.

“Yeah, I don’t trust this guy. How did he even know about Voltron?” Lance got up in Lotor’s face. “Something doesn’t seem right here.”

“Lance, calm down. I am sure Lotor would love to explain himself.” Shiro put his hand on Lance’s right shoulder, pulling him back a bit to give Lotor some breathing room. 

“Yes, well I would find a chair and take a seat, this is a long story.” Lotor pulled up an old wooden chair from the corner of the room and waited. The moved back into the kitchen and into the connecting dining room and grabbed chairs from there. Once all settled Lotor grabbed a sphere on a stick colored blue and green and began.

“We are not alone in this world. There is more than us out there.” He spun the sphere until he reached one particular green spot. “This is North and South America, where I visit the most. They do not worship the Gods there, and are very advanced.” He pointed to the ocean on the left of the Americas. “This is the Pacific Ocean, where we are. They don’t know about us though. The King of Gods and his loyal subjects created a bubble of sorts thousands and thousands of years ago. Before that time, all humans worshipped the Gods, and all was good. Then some men created fake gods, idols, and began to worship those. Over the years the True Gods became a minority of what men worshipped so the King came up with a plan. He created a new continent in this ocean, naming it Altea. He gathered all of his favorite creatures and placed them there, leaving none behind. Then he gathered all men and women who still worshipped the Gods and placed them here. They came from all over the world, a few from each small group or town.”

“This would explain the different skin colors and cultures on each region of the continent.” Shiro noted. Lotor smiled and nodded.

“Yes, but all is not well. The men here were sealed off from the outside world, never to see the other continents. The men outside advanced, but inside the bubble it was a crawl to get where we are now. Still, the Gods gave men some things, like chickens and other livestock from the outside world.” Lotor put down the globe. “My family has only had one dragon in its line since the beginning of this place. He is named Yoltar, The White Dragon, he is ancient, and senses trouble brewing. He called upon me when I was only twelve years of age, and when I was sixteen he took me to the Gods. I spoke for him, and his words convinced them to call upon Voltron once again. He then used his power of opening the bubble to the outside world, and showed me all its beauty.” Lotor stood, looking the Paladins in the eyes. “You shall end this pitiful war over Daibazaal, and bring in an era of peace across the land. You will unite the continent and open the people up to the world and forge a path for generations to come.” 

“The King of the Gods put us here, why would he let us leave.” Keith leaned forward, intrigued with the history of Altea and his people. “Won’t he know our future and stop us.” Lotor sighed.

“I do not know Keith, only time can answer this.” Lotor walked to the map on the wall behind him. He pointed to the blue dot on it. “You have already found the Blue Dragon, next you will need to find the others.” He points to the yellow dot, which was located deep in griffon territory. “Hunk, the yellow dragon is here, in the mines of Pallor. Retrieving it will prove difficult, but once you have the dragon the earth will bend to your will and escaping shall prove no problem.”

“So you’re saying I will have to fight? I don’t know how I feel about this.” Hunk looked around nervously. 

“Don’t worry buddy. Blue and I will protect you.” Lance patted Hunk on the back encouragingly. Lotor pointed to the green dot.

“The Green dragon is here, in this forest, it’s in unclaimed territory so it should be peaceful there. Just incase I hope you brought some armor” Pidge nodded excitedly. Ready to retrieve her dragon.  
“Yes, Hunk put it together before we left” She gave Hunk a thankful smile. 

“Yeah I made Pidge some basic armor and adjusted everyone else’s before we left.” Hunk looked rather proud of himself and his work. Lotor nodded and moved on.

“Red is a difficult case.” Lotor pointed at the one volcano on the continent. “You won’t need to fight, but it will be extremely hot, I would be careful of any eruption that may happen while on the volcano.” 

“Of course Keith gets the volcano, he has always been hot headed.” Lance looked proud of himself for that pun. Keith glares Lance down. 

“Finally the Black Dragon, he is actually in the Altus mountains. Located in the valley that separates the tallest peak on Altea from the smaller mountains.” Lotor looked Shiro in the eyes. “I would not approach the valley until you have the other four dragons. The last thing we need is another dead Black Paladin.” 

“Can we stay the night, regain our strength.” Shiro tries to break up the tension caused by Lotor’s comment. “We will head out at sunrise tomorrow.”

“Voltron will always be welcome here.” Lotor claps his hands. “If you have any questions, feel free to sate your curiosity with my collection. If any of you can cook, there are plenty of herbs and spices in the pantry. I collected them in preparation for your arrival, and if you need meat I would ask Blue to hunt for you since she is already out.” He begins to walk up the stairs. “If you wish, there are some bedrooms still relatively intact, feel free to use them at your discretion.” Lotor disappeared up the stairs.

“Well, that was a lot.” Hunk stood from his chair. “Lance if you could tell Blue to bring back something for us I can cook dinner.” Hunk left the basement mumbling something about needing basil and thyme. Lance followed shortly after. Pidge stayed in the basement, exploring all the gadgets in Lotor’s collection. 

“How long do you think we will last,” Keith broke the silence “we have Blue, the King has to come for us eventually right?” 

“We just need to be prepared for it. If we can get Voltron together as fast as possible I see no reason we can’t fend for ourselves.” Shiro watched as the clock in the room ticked away. “How is the farm?”

“Does it matter now? I can’t return to it, some rich noble will probably claim it as his own.” The Red Paladin looked at the ground. “We need to keep focussed on the goals at hand, not some life we can never get back.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t hold onto that life, who knows, maybe after we end the war we can go back to where we were.”

“Don’t you need to be planning something.” Keith was getting irritated at the emotional digging Shiro was doing. Keith had become much closed off since he learned the truth about… No, he won’t think about it, not anymore.

“I need to support my team. Closing yourself off and blaming yourself for something not your fault won’t help anything.”  Shiro knew what he was thinking about. His soothing tone was an attempt at luring Keith into talking. Pidge recognized the signs of an oncoming fight and grabbed some interesting tools and swiftly exited the rising conflict, closing the door. 

“It was my fault, if I hadn’t gone off alone-”

“You were seven, you were scared and didn’t know any better!”

“I knew the drill! I should have just followed the other kids. Look, spin it all you want, but I will always be the reason he died!” Keith was yelling now. He blamed himself for the death of the man who saved him. He didn’t know who he was, but that day would always be burned into his mind. 

Keith needed to cool off, he left the room heading upstairs and moving into a remote part of the castle, falling asleep by the comfort and warmth of Red’s ancient flames.

...

“I made goat soup!” Hunk yelled up the stairs that lead to the residential area of the castle, his voice echoing in the mainly empty halls. He found a map of the castle in the servants closet when looking for some pots. This allowed everyone to find a room to stay in. 

“Move over Pidge! No way you are getting the first bowl!” Lance’s voice carried followed by a shout and loud bangs. Lance arrived at the bottom of the stairs rather unconventional. He had found a wagon to ride down the stairs in, it spilled open and he rolled the rest of the way down. Pidge followed shortly after, having only slightly more success in her sled than he did in the old childs wagon they found in the recreation room. 

“Has anyone seen Keith?” Shiro stepped over Lance and Pidge who were still on the floor. He took the bowl out of Hunk’s hand much to their protests. “We got into a small argument. He went away to cool off.” Shiro sat down on the kitchen floor, the dining table was in too much disrepair to eat at.

“Let the hothead chill out for a bit.” Lance grabbed the next bowl sitting across from Shiro. Pidge grabbed the next bowl and sat next to Shiro. 

“Lance maybe you should go try to go to him.” Hunk suggested handing Lance a second bowl, “At least bring him dinner.”

“Why me! Can’t Pidge do it?” 

“No, Keith doesn’t talk to me much. He knows you better than me.” Pidge exclaimed.

“Pidge has a point.” Shiro agreed. “Lance at least bring him dinner. I would do it, but he might be a little mad at me still.”  

“FIIIIIIIIIIINE!” Lance stood and began to search the castle. He wandered for a while, eventually climbing one of the few turrets that were fully intact, reaching the castle observatory. He saw the slumped over form by the fireplace. “Keith?”

Keith shot up. Panting before locking eyes with Lance.

“Don’t do that.”  He glared at Lance, the shock in his tone didn’t hide the emotion that lingered in it from his confrontation with Shiro. 

“I brought dinner, it might be cold though.” Lance sat next to Keith, handing him the bowl and spoon. “If you need someone to talk to I am here.” He smiled at Keith.

“Look I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ok, well I wanna ask something.” Lance put down his bowl and rolled up his pants revealing his right ankle. “I got it when Blue came for me.” His hand brushes the mark on his ankle. It is a Voltron V filled with blue, but images of waves rolling across the blue. “Feel it, it's weird, do you know what it is?”

Keith gave him a weird look before brushing over the ankle. It was cool to the touch and felt wet, but when he pulled his hand back his fingers felt dry. He remembered reading about something like this. “It’s your Paladin Mark. Like Blue’s way of saying to anyone you come across that you are her’s. End of discussion.” 

“Huh, didn’t know she was the jealous type.”

“Don’t flirt with a dragon, please.” 

“Awwww Keith is jealous!” Lance teased leaning towards Keith with that usual shit-eating grin.

“That you’re so desperate you are pursuing winged reptiles? No.” Keith put his index finger on Lance’s forehead and pushed him away, accidently knocking him over in the process. Lance shot him an offended look.

“OH IT’S ON!” Lance launched himself at Keith who scrambled out of the way and grabbed his bowl of soup, tossing what was left of it onto Lance.

“Gotta be faster than that!” Keith was met with a similar fate as soup was splashed all over his shirt and face.

Lance spoke in a mocking voice “Gotta be faster than that!” He stuck his tongue out only to be tackled to the floor by his shorter enemy. The two wrestled like the good old days, back when they were chosen to be brothers in arms at the Academy. Chosen to balance each other and protect each other in the heat of battle.

Worst choice of Iverson’s career.

Keith subdued Lance, pining him to the stone floor, holding his arm behind his back.. 

“Wow Lance, six foot one and still being beat up by me. Some things never change.” Keith pulled his arm a bit.

“OK OK UNCLE!” Keith let go of Lance and got off his back.

“Keith, the number is so high I lost count. Lance, zero.” His pain from today had slipped away, being forgotten in the rush and joy of wrestling with Lance, but there was something else in its place. He felt like birds were fluttering in his heart and stomach, something he hadn’t felt before. Keith chalked it off to the adrenaline of wrestling. 

“Hey, Altea to Keith, we should go to bed.” Lance had been talking and Keith was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t even notice.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.” He awkwardly left Lance in the room to find an empty bedroom. Once he had secured a room he collapsed into the bed replaying the night and cursing himself until eventually sleep finds him.

Keith woke before sunrise, sneaking downstairs and into the basement, only to find Lotor and Shiro talking over the map of Altea.

“I don’t think the volcano is safe, last time I was in that region I heard some phoenix tamers speaking about using it as a nesting sight.” Shiro pointed to the volcano in question. “I say we get Green and Yellow, cover Keith as he retrieves Red incase a fight breaks out, then we get Black.”

“Yes but showing up with three of Voltron will seem less like a diplomatic solution and a show of force.”

“You haven’t seen how protective phoenix’s are of their chicks. It is best we go in assuming the worst. The last thing we need is Keith being thrown into a volcano.” Shiro sighed as Lotor shifted on his feet slightly.

“I say we compromise, Lance drops Keith off at the base of the volcano, and if a fight breaks out, we come to the rescue.” Lotor’s compromise sounded reasonable, but Shiro still didn’t enjoy the idea of putting Keith in such danger.

“Is this the best we are gonna get?” 

“Yes.”

Shiro pursed his lips. “Fine. We head out after breakfast, I’ll go wake the others.” Shiro walked away, bumping into Keith. 

“Good morning Shiro.”

“Good morning, how did you sleep.” He sounded stressed, worried about his team.

“Great.” Keith lied through his teeth.

“I won’t press, but if you need anything. Tell me.” He put a comforting hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I worry about you, I won’t judge any problem I promise.”

“Ok, thanks Shiro.”

“No problem.” Shiro gave him a pat and walked upstairs. 

He started by waking up Hunk, it didn’t take much, but he accidentally scared him and the poor guy fell off his bed. He caught Lance going through his skin routine for the first time in three days, just reminding him to dress appropriately and go downstairs.

He hesitated at Pidge’s door.

He cared for her, with all his being, but he was concerned that she resented him. They hadn’t talked much since the wedding. They had the perfect opportunity last night before bed only for her to bury herself in Lotor’s belongings and fiddle with the gadgets. He found himself slightly jealous, a tiny voice in his head telling him that he should be the one intriguing her, or that he should be intervening and helping her explore just so she was interacting with him, not Lotor. 

This was ridiculous, and not the attitude a leader should have.

“Pidge?” He knocked. “Are you awake?” She didn’t answer. “I’m coming in!” Her bed is empty. He checked the closet, or any place she could hide.

He didn’t notice that he walked into an attached bathroom. She wasn’t naked, nothing perverted, thank the Gods, but this was more shocking. She was sat in front of the mirror and had taken a pair of scissors and cut her hair.

“Shiro? What are you doing?” She turns around and tries to hide her emotions. The initial shock wore off of Shiro.

“I was waking up everyone, are you ok?” He approached her, lowering his voice to seem more comforting.

“Yeah I just wanted to cut my hair so in a fight it didn’t get grabbed… I didn’t expect to look…” She didn’t finish the phrase, but he knew the last words  _ ‘look like Matt.’  _ That wasn’t his initial thought though, she looked-

“You look good.” Dammit, he didn’t mean to say that aloud. Play it cool, she needs to feel good right now. “Look, Matt would be proud of you, he would brag of how he had the most beautiful, smartest, and best sister of any guy in the academy. He wouldn’t mind if you look like him, he would poke fun and tease you, but he would feel flattered.” He sat on the toilet next to her. 

“I just miss him. I want to scour Altea, and all those foreign lands in search. I just feel it, he can’t be dead.” She began to undo the bandage on her hand, revealing the ugly scab across it. “Think he would approve of you, of this?” Their eyes meet, her’s filled with sadness and longing. His filled with understanding and slight pain at the question.

“Honestly, not until he beat the crap out of me. Put me in my place for having the audacity to marry his little sister, but we did talk about it a few times since it was a possibility.”

“And what did he say?”

“That if I ever had sex with you he would castrate me, but as long as I don’t touch you he is ok with it.” Pidge laughed at his response.

“That sounds like him! He once said if Lance tried anything on me he could spar with him in training and beat him until he was expelled from the Academy.” She dropped the bandage on the floor. 

“Yeah, he was really protective of you.” He stretched out his hand, the bandage bothering him. “On another note, can you help me get this off.”  

“Yeah, just…” They fell into a comfortable silence as she slowly unwrapped is hand, letting his bandage fall to the floor. She felt amazed at his matching set of scabs, running her fingers over it lightly. Noting how both of their cuts will become prominent scars that will never fade. She looks up and catches his expression, she expected the usual hard and serious Shiro, but is instead greeted by a softer look only marred by the stitches across the bridge of his nose. She sometimes forgets he is a real human capable of more than the emotions of a soldier in battle. 

His eyes catch her’s. He catches her breath, her heart stops for a millisecond.

She needs to leave, right now. Before she does something stupid.

“I gotta go. See you at breakfast.” Quickly absconding out of the bathroom.

She was stupid, why did she do that. It’s Shiro. He is like a brother, he has been in her life almost as long as Matt! She grabs the device Lotor called a ‘smart-phone’ and heads down to the kitchen and sat on the floor while Hunk cooked the Paladins breakfast. This metal and glass required electricity to run, he says he has Yoltar charge it since his element is lightning. She taps away at the screen, slowly piecing together how it works and effectively distracting herself from Shiro. She almost doesn’t notice when he walks in looking rather disheveled. 

**_Almost_ **

“What happened to you? You look like life took a shit on you” Lance jabbed at Shiro.

“Language.” Shiro sat next to Keith, away from Pidge. 

“You came just in time for me to finish breakfast.” Hunk started handing out bowls of hashbrowns and eggs, both of which were ‘borrowed’ from Lotor’s food supplies.

“Your food is exquisite Hunk.” Lotor took a seat besides Pidge. Shiro narrows his eyes at the man. 

“Thank you Lotor. Cooking is my talent!” Hunk completed the circle they had managed to create. They ate in silence for a bit before Shiro interjected.

“Lotor and I came up with a plan on how to get the Voltron Dragons.”

“Well?” Keith leaned forward.

“Lance will take Hunk and Keith to retrieve Yellow. Be prepared for a fight, but you should be able to last. Lotor and Yoltar will transport Pidge and I to retrieve Green. We then turn meet right outside of the Phoenix border by the volcano, and drop Keith off. If there is any sign of a fight then we step in and cover for him while he grabs Red.” Shiro looks at his team. 

Hunk looks sick.

Lance looks excited.

Keith wears a determined face.

Pidge seems a mix of determination and excitement. 

“I know it is bare bones, but it’s the best we got.” Shiro begins again. “But we are Voltron. If anyone can do this it is us. We were chosen by Gods and forces unknown to man. In each of us is potential for greatness, we just need to seize this opportunity and become the heroes from the stories we read as children. The heroes we pretended we were while playing, and the heroes we see ourselves being in our dreams.”

“Yeah! Let's go out and kick some butt!” Lance pumps his fist in the air and Keith facepalms.

“All right Paladins, suit up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I wanna know what you think. Don't like it? leave a comment telling me. Love it? Let me know! I want to know what you like and what I can do better to make this fic better for you, because I write for me and for those who like to listen.  
> Next chapter will be lacking in fluff but be filled with tons of action and information on the societies of the other factions. Alright, I am off to bed.
> 
> (Shout out to my BF who sponsored this chapter by unknowingly buying the pizza that allowed me to have enough energy to finish this!)  
> Until Next Time,  
> TerraSorcerer


	7. Catch and Never Release

Keith didn’t ever want to be on the back of a dragon while Lance was piloting, yet here he was, strapped into the saddle with Lance and Hunk in brown leather armor with weapons on their backs on their way to find a mythological dragon from times lost. Lance had spent the flight practicing aerial maneuvers while Hunk threw up off the side of the dragon, apologizing everytime he did so. 

“Hey Keith, bet you and Red can’t do this!” Lance screamed as Blue rose, only to let herself stall, rotating so her back was to the ground as she fell. He can’t believe Blue is going along with Lance’s desires to one-up him. He resolved to stay calm, not giving Lance the satisfaction of his fear. Hunk on the other hand was freaking out.

“Please stop! I am going to throw up again!” Hunk grabbed his stomach.

“Don’t! It will come right back down and hit us!” Keith grabbed Lance’s shoulder. “Pull out of this! Be responsible for once in your life!” Lance closed his eyes, he knew Keith was right. This was wrong, he was putting them in danger by making Hunk sick. If he couldn’t reach the dragon-

“Lance the ground!” Lance opened his eyes at Keith’s voice and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. In the panic time seemed to slow. Lance pushed his hands onto the neck of Blue, calling for her to pull out of the fall.

Nothing…

He reached for her mind in desperation. Pushing and calling over and over for her until he felt it. The cool waters of the oceans in Blue’s mind washed over him. He opened his eyes only to find that he wasn’t looking out of his own.

He was looking out of her’s. He turned around in air, flapping madly and stopping the descent only one-hundred feet from the ground, then taking off and rising straight up.He felt the wind rush under his wings and the feeling of his body rising through the air. Adrenaline filled his system, he wanted to go faster, to feel the thrills of flight for himself. The feeling of absolute freedom that flight brought was as addictive as opium, he wanted more, but then she kicked him out. He opened his own eyes and returned to his world. The burning feeling on his mark, and the sound of Hunk barfing reminding him where he was. 

“What were you thinking! You almost got us all killed!” Keith looked ready to fight Lance if he tried to defend his actions. Lance knew he was wrong, so this time he yielded.

“I know, I know I shouldn’t have risked our lives. Let’s go get Yellow.” He patted Blue’s neck, earning a gentle chuff from her in agreement. They flew as gently as she could to soothe Hunk’s stomach, and Keith’s aggression.  Lance took the time to watch the world pass by. Loved Altea’s mix of green fields, mountains, forests, and jungles. The Gods made this land just for them, and he couldn’t thank them more for it. He saw the mines they were looking for appear in the distance, as well as the griffons circling it. He told blue to rise as high as they could without passing out from lack of oxygen she roared and took them into the clouds.

“OK, when we are above the mines Blue is going to go into a dive, then at the last second stop. Hunk, that's when you jump off. Keith and I will cover you, just do what you gotta do.”

“What do you mean jump off- OOOOOOH GODS” Hunk was cut off as Blue entered a nosedive. Keith twisted his body to face Hunk and pulled him so he was bend over Blue’s back, then Keith did the same. They heard the alarm bells ring and the screeches of the griffon guards as they exited the cloud cover. Keith turned his head and saw one racing towards them, but it fell behind as it was no match for Blue. She snapped open her large wings stopping momentarily waiting for Hunk to make the jump to the ground.  When he didn’t Keith, unstrapped him and pushed him off. This seemed to wake him up, he got up and ran towards the mine entrance as Lance took off and began fighting the griffons.

**. . .**   


Hunk made into the mines unharmed. The griffons were so distracted by Blue that they didn’t notice him at first. He began running down the maze of tunnels and dead ends, following his gut. He felt a pulling feeling anytime he made the right turn. He would jump anytime the mine shook, running faster with every tremor. It felt like an eternity of running until he reached a dead end. 

“What do you want....” He scratched his chin, placing his hand on the wall, then he felt it. His mind filled with images of white and yellow armor, of mountains and canyons, he also felt a telltale burning sensation on his left ankle. “Oh.”

Then the earth opened up and swallowed him. He slid down a tunnel, landing on his bottom, in front of him he saw the Yellow dragon.

**. . .**   


“Keith! Watch out!” Lance saw the incoming griffon before he did. Keith drew his blade and stabbed outward, his sword meeting the body of the feathered creature. Pulling out he watched as it and its rider fell to the earth. Blue and Lance worked in tandem, moving and flying around, making non-lethal shots. Blue breathed water and ice at the ground units who were trying to enter the mines. Keith caught a glimpse of the griffon rising up to meet them.

“Lance! Below us!” The feathered beast crashed into Blue, its rider slashing at her scales while blue tried to detach the claws of the griffon from her. Lance had put his bow back on his back and was resorting to his sword, doing his best to fight off its rider. Keith was trying to fend off the griffons now crowding them, but there were too many and they managed they grabbed onto her tail and wings. This was it, this was how it would end, Blue would be killed along with Keith and Lance. 

Then the whole continent shook, a canyon formed in the earth and a Yellow dragon flew out of it. He was coated in thick armored scales on his joints, jaw, head, chest and spine, making it look like he was partially made of rock. He had larger wings to carry this extra weight, and tail flaps that were two times the size of blue’s. Keith saw the signature white V on this armored plating.

Yellow was here, and so was Hunk. The two rammed into the griffons on Blue’s right side, freeing her. She twisted hard to the right and downward. Using a griffon on the end of her wing to dislodge the original challenger. He fell under the weight of the others, taking some of Blue’s scales with him and allowing her golden blood to poor. The griffon recovered and came for another charge only to be met with Lance’s arrow to his eye. Then another in his chest. Hunk flew by again, his war hammer colliding with the rider of the griffon, knocking him off, and delivering one last blow to the feathered beast. The two fell and Yellow greeted Blue for the first time in centuries, if not thousands of years. They roared and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. 

“Hey I love a good family reunion, but we gotta go buddy.” Hunk patted Yellow and pointed at a mass coming towards them in the distance. The griffon reinforcements were arriving, and they needed to leave. They turned towards the volcano and began their journey to where Red was hiding.

**. . .**

Pidge took a while to figure out how to put on her armor, no one could blame her, she had never tried it on. Hunk just took her measurements and came back with the armor and put in her bag of supplies. Once it was on and she was ready they climbed onto the back of Yoltar. She sat behind Lotor, and Shiro took his place behind her. He had Matt’s sword on his hip, and she had her dagger at her’s. Lotor gave them a brief rundown of do’s and don'ts aboard his dragon.

“He doesn’t like cussing, or being pet. He is too old to be affectionate. Also, don’t curse the Gods, he will throw you off, learned the hard way when I cursed the King of Gods and was thrown so far I broke my leg on impact.” Lotor laughed nervously as Yoltar growled. “Strap up, because we are taking off!” The white dragon rose into the air and Pidge felt another pull in her chest.

_ I am coming, don’t worry. _

She felt the wind in her hair, smiling they entered the clouds. She twisted around to see Shiro and found the man crying. She wanted to ask why, but got her answer the moment he reached up to touch the clouds and started praying.

“Watch over her, oh Dragon Goddess, her fate came too quickly. She loved these clouds, please let her roam amongst your heavenly ones, I am sure she would love it.” The bond between Shiro and Naila, his old dragon, was great. He had bonded with her even before the proper age. He graduated the academy early and entered service at the age of fifteen, although he had to wait for his battle partner, Matt, to graduate before being put on any advanced missions. Gods he missed them both, it ate at him, any night he didn’t dream of Voltron he was dreaming of that night. He wants to make them both proud, from wherever they were watching.  Even though there were tears coming out of his eyes he felt happy, the clouds were always his favorite place to be. He remembers the first time he climbed to this height, on the back of a wild dragon he found. How she didn’t throw him off for naively climbing onto her back, instead showing him her world. She took him back to the city and slept outside his window, never leaving his side until death ripped her from him. 

“Yoltar says she is safe with the Goddess.” Lotor spoke solemnly. “I am sorry for your loss, and so is he. He can feel your grief.”

“How?” Pidge asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. 

“Yoltar isn’t a normal dragon, he is a minor god, so he can feel their movements and answers to prayer.” Lotor said it nonchalantly. This news shocked the other two passengers. “Don’t worry, he is just the God of Royals. He protects and watches over royal blood lines all over the world. You haven’t offended him at any point in time.” Yoltar hummed in agreement, the vibrations reached the two mortals. The good news of Naila reached Shiro and dried his tears, giving him the closure he needed. 

“Can you tell me if my brother is alive? His name is Matt Holt, please I need to find him.” Pidge leaned forward, tempted to touch the dragons scales and try and sense its thoughts.

“No, he can’t. He doesn’t want you to try and invade his mind.”

She abided by Lotor’s warning and moved her hand away from the snow white scales. She couldn’t help but feel saddened by the answer until Shiro leaned forward and whispered to her.

“That doesn’t mean he’s dead, just that they can’t tell if he is dead or alive.” This lifted her spirits, and she smiled the entire rest of the flight until they reached the forest. Yoltar landed and let Shiro and Pidge off.

“Meet me back at the castle when you have all five!” Yoltar took off, taking Lotor with him. The two paladins were left to their own devices, Shiro and Pidge moved to enter the forest together, but Shiro encountered a problem. 

There was an invisible wall only Pidge could pass though.

“You got this Pidge, go, be great.” Shiro encouraged Pidge, and she smiled before turning back towards the forest and disappearing into the trees, following the pull in her stomach. 

She was a little afraid, after all, this was technically her first solo mission. The forest soon became blanketed with a thick fog, obscuring everything more than ten feet in the dense cover. Pidge felt that pulling in her gut stop, no matter where she moved she no longer felt it. She was now truly alone. Forging onward the Green Paladin searched for what felt like hours, until she found a stream. This wasn’t unusual until she followed it upstream and found where it had split off a  slightly bigger stream. Pidge decided to follow the water, finding the original splits as the stream grew wider and wider, turning into a rushing river. She ran along its banks, maybe the origin of this river is where the Green Dragon lay. Then she reached it, a lake which all fog poured out of. She saw two glowing balls at the center of the lake, their light piercing their cover. 

Something, or someone, was at the center of the lake, and she needed to get to it. 

Pidge thought quickly, using vines of ivy and logs to make a raft, it just had to hold up until she got to the center of the lake. She used a broad enough looking branch for a paddle. Sweating and exhausted she drifted to the center of the lake. When she first reached shore she was convinced it was the other side of the lake until she realized the curvature of the shoreline was too steep to be large. She had drifted onto a small island. Its trees were vastly different than the rest of the forest, sporting palm trees of many types. She moved forward hesitantly, hand on her dagger, but not drawing it. It grew cooler as she moved to the center, no longer so humid and sticky. Then she found it, a temple,

It was made of stone, decorated by vines and all kinds of jungle flora. She felt that pull in her stomach again, inviting her in. She moved up the steps slowly, reaching the top, finding an opening. She figures that if she has nothing left to lose she might as well jump in. As she falls she takes in how the temple is lit by fireflies and other glowing bugs.

On her way down she hits something surprisingly soft. 

“Just some plants probably.” Then a chuff sends a warm breeze down her back. “AH” she spins around to find herself in the presence of a dragon. She was green, in place of the harsh scales and spines other dragons have for protection on their neck and back, she had a soft fur like mane. It moved slowly like grass in the wind, and Pidge swore she saw small flowers in it. The dragon gave her look, inviting her to investigate, so she reached up to run her fingers through the mane to find that it felt like silk, and as she reached further in she eventually found the beasts scaly neck. It was indeed a dragon, just a rather gentle one. She walked around its body, other than its mane it had scales, its tail had those same flaps most dragons have, only these were softer too, though not grass like. As she moved along its other side, she noticed its wings. They were like any other dragon’s wings, spines and leather like contractions, but they looked almost like plants themselves. Spines looked like branches or vines and the skin in between soft like moss. She reached the beasts chest, the mane did not cover its chest, going as low as its shoulders then draping onto the back, letting up where a saddle was, then moving all the way down her back to her tail, just like the spines on other dragons she had seen. This was definitely some kind of forest spirit. Then it clicked.

“Green?”  The dragon seemed to laugh as it growled. It sent images through her mind, forests and jungles and all of the creatures that call it home, but one flashed in her eyes longer. The green and white armor, and a weapon resembling the hilt of a sword, the images almost distracted her from the burning on her left hand. She smiled. “Mind if I hop on?” She got a chuff in response. Climbing on, Pidge strapped herself onto the saddle. “Take me back to Shiro.” The dragon looked up and shot light through the roof of the temple, then rose into the air. When Pidge looked down all the fog was gone, the lake was so calm it reflected the sky and its two current inhabitants perfectly, allowing her to see the white V on Green’s chest.  She saw the forest pass below her until the descent began, hitting the earth right in front of Shiro.

“I can now see why they call her Forest Guardian!” Shiro laughed, climbing onto Green and strapping himself in. “Ready for takeoff!” 

Pidge didn’t need to say where they were going, Green knew where Red was hiding and took off to find him.

**. . .**

Keith watched from Blue’s back as a green dot appeared in the distance, it didn’t take longer than a few minutes for her to land after being spotted. Shiro and Pidge greeted them.

“You ready Keith?” Shiro asked. “We can camp out here if you want. You can do it tomorrow.”

“No, let's do this.” Keith hopped off Blue and began his ascent up the volcano. He moved slowly, remembering Shiro’s conversation with Lotor about the nesting site. He hid under each rock whenever he heard the flapping of wings, or the screeching of phoenix chicks calling out for their parents. He had to be patient, patience yields focus, as Shiro would always tell him. He slowly moved upwards. Maybe there wouldn’t be a fight, he thought.

“There he is!” He heard a man call, he turned around and found a guard with a phoenix on his shoulder. Gods dammit. He took off in a sprint, just managing to avoid the arrow that came after him. Roars and screeches filled the air as his team flew in. He was careful of the nests around him, not wanting to injure chicks or crack eggs. He would occasionally have to fight a guard, but after a few seconds of parrying and dodging, he could slip past. Ice would land right next to him where a soldier stood, Lance allowing him to move forward. One time Hunk crashed into the side of the mountain, crushing a particularly big phoenix next to him. That was not a pretty sight. 

Keith pushed onward, reaching the mouth of the volcano, the heat making him sweat and burning his lungs. 

“Hey! Buddy, it’s Keith, your Paladin!” Nothing, not even the slightest tremor from the volcano. Some guards came up behind him, they looked experienced and tough. “HEY! NOT JOKING RED!” Keith was attacked from three sides. He was able to block the attacks from the first two, outpacing them in sword combat until one grabbed him from behind. Keith struggled, trying to shake the guy loose, but he had Keith in a firm hold. 

“Finish him off.” The man who held him said, kicking his left leg to make him kneel. One man came to his left, resting the sword on Keith’s neck, getting his aim right. He raised the blade and brought it down. Keith prepared for the worst, but it never came.

Instead the volcano erupted.

It threw the soldiers off the mountain. Keith felt the burning lava engulf him, it only burned his right hand. He looked up and learned why. 

A dragon stood over him, his body was red with an orange underbelly, and his eyes looked as if they were on fire. His claws looked to be made of andesite, and when he roared it sounded less like a dragon and more like the erupting of a volcano. His scales glimmer in ways that made them look like they were on fire, and smoke billowed from his breath. He truly was a dragon of fire.

The most important feature was the V on his chest. 

Keith didn’t hesitate, he climbed onto the back of the dragon and strapped himself into the saddle. He saw fire, wild and untamed in his mind, as well as the image of red and white armor and the hilt weapon he heard Lance talking about.

“Good dragon.” He joined the fight, Red was by far the fastest and most agile of Voltron. He moved a swift and turned on a dime, allowing Keith to strike with his sword from any angle. He swirled around a particularly big phoenix, one of the few with a rider, and struck it from above. The bird shrieked in confusion before falling from the sky.

“Way to go Keith!” Lance shouted, to be rewarded with sword hilt to the face from another rider. Keith wanted to help, but saw Lance return the favor shooting the rider in the shoulder.  Keith flew off to find where he was most needed. The mountain shook violently and he just barely heard Shiro yell. 

“We need to get out of here before this thing really blows its top!” He didn’t need to say that twice, because soon after the four members of Voltron escaped as the volcano spewed lava and gas.

Four down, one to go.   
  


They flew as fast as they could, heading to the tallest peak in the mountain chain. Shiro saw it in the distance, he knew what waited for him in the valley in front of it, and he couldn’t be more nervous. They landed on the peak, and set up camp to wait for Black. They were lucky Hunk had the sense to bring camping supplies, or they would freeze to death. They ate their rations and began to talk. 

“Did you see me nail that guy! The griffon! Right in the eye!” Lance shouted as they sat around the fire Shiro made. 

“Yeah, when we were at the volcano Shiro grabbed a phoenix who was breathing fire at Green and threw it away. Like it was a songbird or something.” Pidge exclaimed, the others looked a little shocked, but continued sharing stories. For hours they talked and joked, the sun had begun to set and then Keith brought up Shiro’s childhood.

“Shiro used to try and fight the cows at my family farm.” Keith said with a smirk on his face.

“Wait clarify.” Lance managed to get out before breaking down laughing with the rest of the Paladins.

“It was one time Keith!” Shiro said indignantly. “I was fifteen and the bull kept trying to fight so I decided to put it in its place.” Shiro looked like he might have gotten away with it then Pidge interjected.

“That's how you broke your arm!” Shiro responded with silence. “Oh my Gods it is! You had your arm broken by a COW! THIS IS TOO GOOD!” Even though he was being laughed at Shiro couldn’t stay mad, he knew how stressful all this had been for the group and how much they needed a good laugh. They might be ok with the fighting and killing now, laughing about it helped cope, but in their dreams it would haunt them. 

“Hey, remember that time you ripped your dress in front of the Lord.” Shiro gave her a smirk. “You know the own who basically owns the city and keeps your father’s research afloat.” Lance and Hunk broke down laughing again, even Keith couldn’t help but smirk.

“Matt left his sword on the ground and it caught my dress!” Pidge punched Shiro’s shoulder as he began to laugh at her flustered look. Shiro held up his hand in surrender.

“All right, all right. It’s getting late, let’s get to bed.” His younger teammates groaned. “No buts, we all need rest. We can search for Black tomorrow morning.” 

“Fine dad.” Lance leaned back and groaned, rising and entering the tent Hunk brought and set up. This lead to the stream of people who entered the cramped tent. 

Shiro is regretting not bringing his own tent, but here he was, hot, sweaty, and in a pile of Paladins who have come back from a battle and have yet to shower. Hunk was the pillow for everyone. Keith and Lance using his right side while Pidge and himself settled on the left. He was the last to fall asleep, being lulled into slumber by Hunk’s snoring. 

This was not a peaceful slumber, it never is for Shiro.

**. . .**

He stood on the edge of a cliff, in new armor. It felt like leather, but something told him it was much stronger. He felt the chest plate, it was cool to the touch, yet when he pressed into this white and black armor, it felt stronger than steel. He reached to the belt on his new armor to find his right arm. It looked to be made of metal, he tried moving it, and it functioned like any normal arm.

This was weird. He was lucid, and yet this was what he was wearing last time, the same metal arm as in his dreams of Voltron. He clenched it, and tried to focus whatever his dreamself thought quintessence was. Nothing, no reaction. He sighed and was just about to give up when a frigid breeze blew up from the cliff. With it came a black and red dragon. Its coal black body only broken by the blood red scales on its joints, wings, horns and neck. Having a view from the front he could also see the red where major arteries and veins were. On its chest was a white , where all the red gathered. It was an imposing sight, so was its mouth that grabbed Shiro like a hatchling.

And threw him off the cliff to his death. As he fell a voice pierced through the rushing wind.

“Shiro! Wake up!”

He shot up, hitting his forehead against Pidge’s. She leaned back rubbing the red bump forming on her head.

“Note to self, don’t wake you up from nightmares.” She looked up and saw how Shiro was drenched in sweat. “Let’s go outside, it's cool out there.”  Shiro nodded, following her outside of the tent and onto the snow covered peak, sitting by the warm embers of the fire. In the small silence he took in the mountain across from theirs, it was smaller, but curved like a crescent moon, but its side looked like solid, smooth stone. 

“Can we talk about something other than my dream right now? I don’t really feel like I can take more stress.” He always felt he could be more open with her, that he could drop the serious leader facade and act himself. 

“Of course,” She played with the snow in front of her. “Is it ok for me to be guilty for killing in battle.”

“Here I thought we were going to avoid emotional stresses.” 

“Sorry-”

“No its fine, I had the same question after Matt and I fought a battle inside Daibazaal.” He leaned back onto his left hand. “Yes, in battle you dehumanize the enemy, but outside of the fight, the bloodshed, it hits you. Those were humans too, those animals are just as sentient as dragons. That is something you just… learn to live with.” He sat up again, looking into her eyes. “I am sorry you have to go through that though. I wouldn’t wish these things on even my worst enemy.” She came closer for a hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. He rested his head against hers for a second before looking over the cliff. Maybe…

This was a bad idea.

So was most of what he did.

“Pidge, I am about to do something, and you can’t stop me.” He stood, taking a few steps back.

“Shiro . . .” She looked at the cliff, then to him. “DON’T DO IT!”

Too late, he sprinted forward, moving faster than Pidge could catch him. He heard her scream for the others to wake up as she ran through the snow, probably to Green. He reached the end and leaped off.

This was a really, really bad idea. 

**. . .**

Pidge was on Green, but she refused to budge. When she tried to communicate with her she was met with fierce resistance. She looked at the others clamoring out of the tent and mounting their dragons.

“They won’t move!” Keith called, “Where is Shiro? What is going on?”

“He said he had a bad idea and threw himself off the peak!” Pidge yelled back. “He said not to stop him!”

“Why would he-” Hunk started only to be stopped by a black and red blur that passed overhead. 

So that’s why.

**. . .**

 

Shiro was falling for a solid ten seconds at this point. He had an entire mountain and valley before the ground greeted him with a very unflattering death. He pleaded to whatever Gods were listening, praying to be saved. The air turned even unnaturally cold, cold for even the Altus Mountains.

His prayer was received by some God and the answer was the loud roar that filled the space between the two mountains that stood on either side of the valley.  He saw the Black dragon to his flying besides him, he angled closer, grabbing onto the saddle. He struggled to strap himself in, but managed to do so by hooking his legs into the straps and buckling them in one at a time. He placed his left hand in between the dragon’s shoulders.

_ Pull up.  _ He thought, but Black did nothing, just continued diving to the ground.

He tried to sense his thoughts but was left with nothing to go off of. The ground was only a few seconds away when he decided to do what he knew every dragon hated. 

He grabbed the spike between the dragon’s shoulder’s and pulled backward, and to his surprise Black pulled out of the dive, claws tearing into the earth below. Black kept moving forward at an alarming pace. Shiro now had to face the problem of the curved wall of mountain in front of him. He pulled back on the spike yet again. Black roared but complied, pulling up just in time to avoid the rocks of the mountain side. He kept applying pressure and Black flew up while bending back, curving to avoid the mountains crescent shape. This wasn’t enough, he heard Black’s claws begin to scrape the rocks. He saw the end of the curve, but wasn’t sure how long he could keep going, they were almost completely upside down at this point, he felt himself being pulled away from the saddle by gravity. If he turned right side up now, he would be crushed by the mountain, he had to push through. Yelling he pushed it to the right at the last second, Black twisted with the push, righting himself just as they pulled out from under the mountain. 

Black, filled his mind like a gust of wind in a monsoon. The images of purple clouds, a cold grey and purple throne, the black and white armor and sword hilt from his dreams. Leaning back, he patted Black’s side.

“You, are a lot to handle.” He earned a growl in return, as well as the burning feeling on his chest, like he was being branded. Shaking his head, he asked Black to land back at camp, and was surprised when he actually complied with his request, landing in front of the four other Voltron dragons, each with their Paladins who were currently scrambling to jump off of their dragons to greet Shiro. First was Pidge who ran to Shiro and hugged him with so much force he actually had to take a step back. 

“Don’t ever do that again! I lost Matt, I can’t lose you too.” He hugged her back, Gods, he will never hurt her again.

“I am sorry, that was stupid.” He spoke softly, admitting his wrongs.

“Yeah it was!” Lance joined in on the hug.

“You could have died!” Hunk grabbed the three and squeezed. When he saw Keith alone, he reached out and grabbed him, forcing him into the hug.

“What now?” Keith asked, the question sounding more like a mumble as he had to speak through Lance’s hair.

“We go back to Lotor, and tell him the news.” Shiro put back on his leader facade. “The sooner the better, we pack up and head back, and rest in some real beds.” 

“Agree with that, Hunk is comfortable, but nothing beats a real bed.” Lance cracked his neck, getting a chuckle from Hunk.

“Sorry!” Hunk stepped away from the hug, everyone following suit. 

“Alright, let's pack up” Which really meant pack up the tent and strap it onto Yellow. The others put their bags on their dragons. Within the hour they had taken off and were well on their way to Lotor’s castle. Nothing eventful happened on the flight, Lance tried to do a few stunts only for Shiro to quickly lecture him. They arrived in the middle of the night, yet Lotor once again greeted them at the door, inviting them in. He was dressed in strange armor, metal and leather meshed together, with a trench coat like tails over his legs. It was all purple and black, with a bright purple emblem in the center. 

“Don’t go to sleep yet.” He said, walking further into the hall and grabbing a letter to show the Paladins. “We have been summoned by my father.”

“So we are going to the capitol?” Hunk asked apprehensively.

“No, we are going to the City of Gods.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! This is a really big moment! This awesome human being who goes by flower-hoarder on tumblr drew what heavily inspired the green dragon design. I can't post the link because I am writing this on a school laptop that blocks tumblr, buuuut this is the link she posted in last chapter's comments. https://flower-hoarder.tumblr.com/post/174010397573/trust-the-process-based-off-this-wonderful
> 
> Now if you are wondering why the other dragons didn't get much attention, its because their design is much easier to explain. A forest dragon has always confused me, how do you explain this? How do you show a dragon that represents the forests and jungles of the world? I tried. Also if I messed up Lotor's armor color its because for me dark colors all look the same, seriously. Blue and purple kinda... blend together, and its hard to tell what Lotor is wearing. Anyway, I am going to sleep. I need a nap
> 
> Until Next Time,  
> TerraSorcerer


	8. Entering a City of Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is fluffy, and originally this and the next chapter were one, but that is like 10,000 words so I split it up in two.

“ _We are going to the City of Gods.”_

The group was speechless from Lotor’s announcement. Pidge shifted nervously on her feet, remembering the countless stories of Gods with mortal virgins and how they typically didn’t end well for the mortal.

“Ummm, no.” Pidge cut in, “The Gods are not friendly towards mortal women.” Lotor shook his head, shifting a travel pack over his shoulder and strapping a sword to his waist.

“Just stay with Shiro.” He started heading towards the door the Paladins just entered after retrieving Voltron. “The entrance to the City of Gods is located in Daibazaal, but I doubt the griffins will fight us.” Keith gave Lotor a skeptical look.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” He crossed his arms. “It’s technically theirs at the moment, they have every right to defend it, seeing as it is holy to all three factions.”

“Yes, but right now the King of Gods himself sent down guards to protect the portal he opened as well as prevent them from stopping us.” Lotor looked down at Keith. “I doubt they would choose now to pick a fight.” He was daring Keith to try something, testing the man.

Keith did not back down, instead tilting his chin up to meet the taller man’s gaze.

“OK, calm down you two.” Shiro stood in between the two men. “What can we expect up there?” Lotor smiled.

“Well any part of your… let’s say heritage, that you don’t know will be revealed to you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Also, I would keep Pidge at one of your sides at all time, she will be the only one of you not permitted to be armed, and since she is still a virgin I suspect she may catch a few unwanted eyes.” Pidge roller her eyes, tired of being ‘sheltered and protected.’ She could take care of herself just as well as the others. Lance slung an arm around the girl.

“I got you Pidge, we can hit up all the party joints.”

“No.” She stepped away, “Just, no.” Lotor laughed a bit at her reaction before straightening himself out.

“Well, we should hurry, father doesn’t like it when his guests are late. I already packed your bags, they are in your room. When we get there, you will rest for the night then reconvene in the morning.” The next hour consisted of Paladins rushing throughout the house collecting their belongings and strapping them to the dragons. It wasn’t too long after everything was strapped on and ready that Voltron had taken off, following Lotor as he lead the way to Daibazaal. The group fought off the cold, their leather armor insulating them from the Altus winds, but everyone except Shiro managed to find sleep while their dragons flew. Pidge and Keith had an easier time getting comfortable and falling asleep. Keith just leaned onto Red’s neck and let the heat of Red lull him into a slumber. Pidge buried her face in the silky mane of Green, enjoying the extra insulation. Hunk was in and out of consciousness, waking up when Yellow shifted too much, or turned, causing the larger Paladin’s face to shift from his arm to the armored scales. Lance was the most innovative,  laying down on his back, untying parts of the leg straps and using the long strips of leather to secure himself onto the saddle so he could lay down. Shiro just didn’t feel comfortable enough to sleep, with where they were heading, but also what dragon he was riding.

Shiro studied Black, noting how cold and distant he felt compared to Naila. Almost like he didn’t accept his Paladin, just using him as a placeholder. He leaned forward, resting his head on the spike he used to control Black earlier, reaching for Black’s mind all he got was a cold blast of air pushing him out.

This was going to frustrate him to no end.

He was tired, hungry, and grumpy and yet he was flying under the stars of night on his way to Daibazaal. He hadn’t been to the holy site since a raid on it with Matt, where they failed an attempt to retake it. He watched many people die that day, only for them to retreat in shame. Shiro shivered, though it was not at the cold winds of Altus, it was at all his memories of battle and blood. He thought that maybe with the death of Matt, Rover, and Naila he could rest, but instead found himself thrown into more war, one he didn’t know enough about to see an end. He knew the basic goals from Lotor.

End the war over Daibazaal.

Open Altea to the outside world.

Then avoid the wrath of the Gods for the rest of his life.

The third part would never end, he determined. When he died, either of old age or being struck down, his spirit could still be connected to Voltron, and as such he was an enemy of the Gods. His spirit would be hunted down across the infinite forests, mountains, deserts, and plains of the After World. Shiro bit his lip at the idea, he wasn’t sure if the others knew this was their fate.

Shiro came to the conclusion that it was best not to tell them until he had to, if they hated Voltron, then they wouldn’t be able to achieve their goals. Who knows what would happen if they failed to do what was needed to appease the dragons. He tilted his head up to the stars, watching them glimmer in the sky, crawling slowly across it as he flew. It didn’t matter what he felt, he had to be strong.

Lance needed his logic and guidance.

Keith needed his control and wisdom.

Hunk needed his confidence and knowledge.

And Pidge… He didn’t know where he fit with her. She somehow managed to be fiercely independent, yet incredibly reliable at the same time. She was smart, maybe smarter than Matt, and was surprisingly skilled with a dagger despite her limited time with it. She seemed like she didn’t need anyone really, yet she was determined to fight for them, and for her family. Determined to find Matt if he was still out there, and to return him to his home. She was amazing, what was he needed for? He comforted her, yes, but so did everyone else. He guided her into being a Paladin, but so did Greed herself. Other than being a person of support and guidance, he didn’t know where he was needed with her.

Yet he felt protective of her. If anyone as much as hurt her he would hunt them down. Is this how people in marriages felt, even though it was arranged. He was convinced he would feel the same about he that he did before the engagement, before the courting, before that mission that took away almost everything. Before that he saw her just like any of the others, as a friend. Yes, he would have protected her, just like he would Keith or Lance, but not to the extent of hunting people down. This was new. Gods, why was he thinking about this now, he should be planning, getting ready to meet the Gods. Maybe even see the God of the Sky himself, seeing the God in charge of his dragon would be exciting, and as such he should be writing a speech of what to say.

Probably a better idea than thinking about his relationship with Pidge.

Shiro looked at his armor, the blood and grime on it. He was in no shape to face Gods.

“Lotor, will there be any way we could change into more appropriate clothing before we speak to any Gods or Goddesses.” Lotor turned around.

“I would assume so, my father would never see a woman without her in appropriate attire, or Paladins for the first time in what seems like countless years, who aren’t properly taken  care of. I hear through the horbue vine that he has a mission for you.” Lotor turned back around, looking at Yoltar. “He thinks you will be fine. You will probably be in the City of Gods for a while, after all, a lot of Gods will want to weigh in on your situation. The bureaucracy of heaven can be quite extensive.”  Shiro didn’t comment on the idea of being stuck in that situation for a long time. He went back to his thoughts, letting time slip by as he let himself get lost in his mind.

“We’re here.” Lotor said after who knows how long. “Wake the others.”

Shiro didn’t have to be told twice, he suggested to Black that he roared and he, much to Shiro’s surprise, obliged, roaring and scaring the other’s awake. Everyone except Lance shot up, the Blue Paladin had to untie himself first.

“Guys! Look!” Lance pointed to the purple light pouring out of the clouds. The light made a perfect silhouette of the Holy Site and all of its temples. The high reaching spires and towers pierced the night sky. “How is that happening.”

“That is the portal.” Lotor said. “The Gods sent a stone from the heavens into Daibazaal, they use the rift it formed to create portals into their world, allowing mortals of high enough importance to speak to them. Though for the longest time the head druids were the ones to open it and speak, no other mortals have passed through it in centuries, except me. I am the exception, not the rule.” They were approaching the light at an alarming speed.

“We get it, you’re the best and awesome.” Lance leaned forward on Blue, but Keith spoke before Lance could say anything he would regret.

“Is there anything we should know before we enter the portal.” They were incredibly close to the light, the heat starting to engulf them.

“Don’t offend my father, he will kill you.” Then it engulfed them. They were in a tunnel of swirling lights, flying it still air. Pidge looked around, taking in the lights and sounds, amazed at it.

“How do they do this?!” Pidge asked.

“I don’t know!” Lotor shouted back. “The Gods have powers beyond our imagination.” The end appeared, a blue and white disk. They flew into it, passing through it in a fraction of a second and being greeted by a less than stellar sight.

The City of Gods was beautiful. Buildings and castles of various colors reached into the sky, piercing the clouds and seemingly touching the stars. One castle at the center of it all was the most imposing. The building was a deep purple, with read on some of the joints, and bright lights running through the stone ( _Metal? She couldn’t tell from here._ ) keeping it lit. Pidge wondered who lived there, and what technology do the Gods have to build such structures. Why haven’t they shared this with their worshipers, these lights would allow people to stay up later, and these tall buildings could house so many people compared to the single family homes. She could only imagine the farming technologies, or medical technology. Pidge watched with excitement as Green weaved in between buildings as they approached the central purple castle. She noticed how the buildings seemed to be color coded, green in this area, deep blue in another, then some brown in that circle. All of these clusters had a purple building in them, almost at the center. Maybe the purple color was that of the ruling class, and they were leaders? She didn’t know enough about heavenly hierarchy to make an educated guess. It took them a while to reach the central castle, but once they were in range doors on the sides of it opened, one for each dragon of Voltron, plus Lotor.  Once she reached the end of the long tunnel and Green landed in the hangar she heard shouting. Strange purple men with some animalistic features began running around, The language they spoke sounded like gibberish to her.

“What are you saying!” She shouted, dismounting only for the men to push her back towards Green.

“You aren’t decent!” One man shouted, making his way through the crowd and shielding her. “Please, wait for some maidens to come get you, for your safety.”

“Who are you?” She was surprised one of the men knew how to speak her language.

“My name is Ulaz, and these men are trying to keep you out of the eyes of some of the bachelors. They might not have the restraint the men here do, they fear that their wives would kill them if they strayed.” Ulaz tore a cloak off of a nearby soldier to wrap her in. He spoke in gibberish again, telling the men to back off, he had it under control. “Do you have a man to come get you?”

“I don’t need one.” She said indignantly, chin up in defiance.

“I know, but the others do not think that. I ask again, do you have a man to come get you?”

“Yes, the Black Paladin.” She showed the wound on her hand, the outer scabs starting to fall off due to the healing properties of the City of Gods.

“Hmm.” He turned to the same soldier he took the cloak from and commanded him to find the Black Paladin. “I will wait with you until the maidens and Shiro arrive.”

“How do you know his name?” Pidge cocked her head, “Have you met?”

“Ask him when he arrives.” Ulaz ended the conversation, forcing the two to sit in an uncomfortable silence. The minutes passed by until the silence was penetrated by the sound of running echoing into the corridor. Shiro appeared out of a hall to the left, he ran towards her reaching her and grabbing her shoulder.

“Are you ok? I heard about the men’s reactions.” He looked to the red cloak on her shoulders. “Where did you get this?”

“Ulaz covered me to get the others who were trying to get me onto Green so the less disciplined males wouldn’t find me away. They were really annoying.”

Shiro turned and saw Ulaz, his jaw dropped. “You’re alive!? I thought you died!” Shiro wanted to say more, but Ulaz cut him off.

“Not here, not now, the maidens are coming to take you to your quarters.” Ulaz gave him the _don’t push it_ look and Shiro got the sense that something wasn’t right. He went along with it anyway, nodding then turning his attention back to Pidge.

“Yeah- I just need some time to get used to this.” She stretched a little bit. “Who knew dragon riding makes you really sore.”

“You didn’t get to ease into it. It gets better-” they were interrupted by the gibberish language being shouted by Ulaz towards the two purple women who entered the room. They nodded and walked up to the spouses, gesturing them to follow where they lead. Pidge and Shiro looked at each other, and Pidge shrugged. She linked arms with Shiro and followed them through the dimly lit purple corridors. The maidens showed them to a room, opening the door.

“Who is this room for?” Shiro asked, already knowing the answer.

“Both of you, you are married are you not?” One gestured to the room, which was spacious and with only one bed, which was covered in what seemed like too many pillows.

“Yeah but-”

“You cannot stay on your own, young woman. Not unless you want to fight off restless men who haven’t seen a human female in centuries.” The maiden interrupted Pidge. She pursed her lips and turned away. She walked into the room, frustrated by being treated like she needed constant protection. Shiro thanked the women then followed soon after. He stretched, realizing how much he wants to get out of the confining leather armor. He noticed how uncomfortable Pidge looked as she walked around the room investigating, he figures its the armor. He decided to investigate as well, opening a closet to find clothes in his family colors. None of the pants or tunics were even remotely small enough for Pidge, meaning she would be stuck wearing the various dresses in there. He picked out the simple tunic with soft looking pants. He noted how the tunic lacked a right sleeve. They must have been made in advance for him. He headed toward Pidge.

“Have you found a bathroom?”

“Yeah, that door.” She pointed to one on the far right of the room.

“Thanks.” He opened the door and walked in. There was a tub with a strange spout above it as well as a toilet that was strangely inside the castle, which was weird seeing as almost all toilets are outdoors in the city. He set his clothes down on the counter and looked in the mirror, running his hand through his black hair. He swore he was going to grey early if this kept up. He reached to undo his armor, realizing he needed help, Keith helped him last time. The ties in the back were hard to do one handed after all. “Pidge, can you help me?”

“Yeah.” She walked in and began untying the knots. She stood on her toes to be able to reach the one in between his shoulder blades. She wished Hunk had more time so he could make armor that had fewer ties needed, but he only had a week of warning. This forced him to put together the armor for each Paladin by adjusting premade orders, or repairing broken soldiers armor, meaning that there had to be ties so they could adjust their armor on the fly incase it didn’t fit properly. Once Pidge finished, he slid the leather off, revealing his cotton undershirt, soaked in sweat.

“Thanks.” He turned around and smiled at her. “Want some help with yours?”

“NO NO NO NO.” She shouted, he raised his eyebrow. “Hunk recommended not wearing anything under except the ‘necessary support’  because I didn’t any tight fitting shirts or tunics, all of the ones I have are Matt’s and they will bunch up.” Shiro fought the heat rising in his cheeks.

“Oh, I will just change in here, no big deal, just pick something out and change out there and tell me when you are decent.” He turned to the counter and waited for her to close the door. Shiro stripped down, only to drop the shirt in his hand at the sight in the mirror.

A large purple V was branded on his chest, the inside was colored pitch black, with white dots that twinkled slightly like stars in the night sky. He vaguely remembers overhearing a conversation between Lance and Keith about Lance having one on his ankle with rolling waves.

Shiro always thought magic was weird. He touched the mark, it wasn’t raised like any other scar would be, it was more like a drawing on his skin. When it was in the path of the other scars on his chest, it was like it was painted on, and just went over them. Gods this just got weirder. He checked up on his hand, noting the way the scabs on the end were starting to flake off, meaning his wound was healing faster, probably due to all the magic in the City of Gods. He smiled for a bit, seeing that when he scratched off the loose scabs using the counter there was a very visible scar. Then a loud knock on the door.

“I’m ready!” Pidge yelled, “You ok in there? You dropping a-”

“No! Pidge I am just taking my time.” He took off the leather pants, replacing them with the loose black cotton ones from the dresser.They felt comfortable enough to sleep in. He walked outside to find her sitting on the bed. She wore a very simple black nightgown that cut off at her knees.  He smiled and joined her, noticing how anxious she looked. “What's wrong?”

“Who was that, how do you know him?” She looked at Shiro with curiosity in her eyes.

“Ulaz, I saw him at Daibazaal, he saved my life during the raid when I was knocked off Naila. I swore I saw him die, pushed off a cliff, but apparently he is here.”

“He looked like that then?” Pidge was in disbelief, Shiro met some heavenly man and didn’t tell anyone. Why not even her? Did he not trust her?

“Yes, but at first he was in black with a mask on, it wasn’t until he took it off and told me who he was to get me to stop fighting him and accept the help that I saw what he looked like.” He looked at the ground. “He asked me not to tell anyone I knew, not even Matt. I don’t think he was supposed to be on the battlefield at all.” Shiro looked her in the eyes. “Don’t tell anyone, I don’t think he wants the other people here to know. I think we should change the subject, who knows who is listening.”

“How did Naila heal your wound, she isn’t a healing dragon.” Pidge immediately asked. “I always wondered how she did it.”

“When dragons and humans bond, it’s like their mind and souls connect. When the human is in danger, they can look through their human’s knowledge and combine it with their own.” He rubs the stump. “When I was bleeding out, she most likely looked through my mind and found what I knew about cauterizing wounds. Then about basic herb training I had, which is probably why it looks so much like a burn scar there.” He studied her face, how she wore the same look Matt had when they discovered something new on the battlefield, so full of curiosity and questions. “Ask anything Pidge, I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure? Anything?”

“Yes, Pidge.”

“What did it feel like when Naila died?” Well he didn’t expect that. He tried to hide the sadness on his face as he prepared his answer.

“Imagine, feeling warmth for years, forgetting what the cold felt like. Imagine you have never been alone, always having someone at your side.” He gulped. “Then imagine feeling cold and loneliness for the first time. That was what it was like.” She pursed her lips, deciding to change the subject after realizing her mistake.

“Shiro?”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna see my Voltron Mark?” Gods she sounded just so happy in that little moment. He laughed awkwardly and nodded. She held up her left wrist revealing a green V with trees that seems to sway in the breeze a bit in the middle. “I have been trying to figure out what fuels this magic. What allows these moving and slightly glowing pictures on our skin.”

“I thought of quintessence when I was dreaming of Voltron.” Pidge lit up like a light. “I think I thought something about it being life force.”

“So magic is just manipulating the energy emanated by one’s self or other living beings.”

“Quintessence might be more than just energy though. We aren’t trained like druids, or the Gods here.”

“I know, but imagine the possibilities if we could use quintessence! Imagine how far we could advance our faction, no all of Altea!”

“Pidge.” He rested his hand on her shoulder, they need to sleep before tomorrow. “I know you are really excited for this, but we should focus on the mission first. That means we should rest up and get ready for tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I forgot that old men have to go to bed early.”

“I am going to let that one slide so we can get to bed.” Pidge smiles at this small victory.

“I’m gonna to take the floor.” She slid off the bed and onto the floor of the room, dragging a few pillows with her.

“No.” Shiro stood, wrapping his arm around her chest, lifting her up and putting her on the bed. “Let me take the floor.”

“No, I should do it, you are missing an arm and I don’t want you to further hurt the stump.”

“Pidge I don’t mind, I am not fragile, I can handle it.”

“Shiro...” She gave him the famous Holt look, the scrunched eyebrows and fiery eyes. _I know I am right, even if I am wrong I am somehow right_.

“Fine,we are going to find a compromise.” Shiro gave her his famous _I am not budging_ look in return.

“What?”

“We erect a pillow barrier between us, and we both sleep on the bed on our sides of the barrier.” Shiro watched as she crossed her arms and carefully considered.

“Dibs on the left side.” She begins making the solid wall of pillows from the bed, he turned off the lights once she. Shiro laughed and settled in once the wall was set up. He couldn’t sleep though, he instead pondered Ulaz’s presence here.

How did he sneak out of the City unnoticed. To do so would be risking his life, risking being punished by the Gods for messing with mortal lives, a privilege only Gods could lay claim to. He was a heavenly being, not a deity, but still a creature of heaven was more powerful than any human. Legend said they were created before the first humans along with a few other races out of the blood of the First God. After millenia of ruling, the First God abdicated the throne to his children, but not without a few conditions. The species of his blood had to inhabit the City of Gods, not the mortal realm. His children agreed to this condition, and the heavenly species were brought up from the mortal realm. The First God, without the permission of the new rulers, used his magic to create humans to inhabit the realm in the place of those who had just left it. Sadly, since he was old and weak, the humans he created were weak compared to the Galra and other species, so they were deemed unworthy to pass into the City of Gods, and as such were seen as below all species of the First God’s blood.

Or that’s what the priest who visited his class told him when he was younger. Why would Ulaz risk so much for him? Where was the benefit in helping a lesser species?

He pondered this question in his head for what felt like hours, only stopping when he heard Pidge’s whimpers. She was having nightmares, most likely of the battles. She had killed a few phoenixes, he knew how hard the first time was. He had two options, wake her up, or break down the pillow barrier and hold her.

He chose the former, reaching over the pillows, shaking her shoulder gently and calling her name. She woke up and ran to the bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. He approached her, kneeling and rubbing slow circles into her back.

“How…” She was shaking. “How does this toilet work?” She leaned back from the toilet, allowing him to carefully pull the lever on the side. They watched the water swirl down the bowl. “Remind me to build these toilets in our city, our sewer system could use an upgrade.” Shiro smiled a bit, she just woke up and started vomiting and was still thinking of inventions to bring back home.

“Pidge, do you want to talk about it.”

“I was dreamt of what I did…” She looked down. “How I many I killed. How their human partners must have felt.” She shook “I feel awful. How do you do it.”

“I keep living for the people I love.” Shiro rubbed her back again. “I know that if I didn’t do what I did, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me, both my commanders, and the enemies, or if I wasn’t killed I would be captured and be tortured for information. You need to put your life above theirs, and know that they are doing the same. Battle is different than walking on the streets or shopping in a market. You fight for your life in battle, while in a market you are just… living. If you kill in a market its a crime because you didn’t _need_ to kill, but in the heat of battle it is different. If you don’t kill then chances are you will be killed. You acted in self defense, and in defense of Keith, you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

“I know, I know that it’s self defense!” Pidge is frustrated to high hell, no matter what he tells her, or she tells herself, the guilt doesn’t leave. She was never good at dealing with emotions, she funneled in on her passions, ignoring guilt or sadness. She could always distract herself with her brother’s school scrolls, or her father’s notes about his inventions. She couldn’t do that now, she had no scrolls, no notes from her father. Just Shiro and her own brain. “I never had to do this! I wasn’t trained for this!”

“No one is.” He pulled her into his chest. “No one knows how to do this. We are all just guessing, and some people happen to be better at guessing than others. Come on, let's get back to the bed, we don’t have to sleep, just lay down and talk.” He guided her out of the small bathroom and to the bed. He knew small spaces made things worse for him after a nightmare, but since they couldn’t go walking around a heavenly castle in the middle of the night this was the best he could do. He went to climb over the pillow wall, when she started pulling it apart.

“Pidge, its ok really-”

“I don’t care, just go to bed.”

He laid down on his back, she was curled up on the other side of the bed, her back to his. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. He started dozing when he felt a warmth against his arm and chest. He didn’t pay it mind as he managed to drift into a blissful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Next chapter will be about the bureaucracy of the Gods, and will reveal a lot about where this fic is going. The ball will finally roll at a fast pace. Next chapter is also Klance based.  
> You're welcome  
> Until Next Time,  
> TerraSorcerer


	9. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally kicks off.

The rush of purple men that escorted him to his room had shocked him initially, however, he soon remembered that he was human. There are things the Gods probably do not want him to see, so it would make sense to try and push him into an isolated room to prevent him from exploring.

Keith stretched before removing his armor and throwing it into a pile in one corner of the room. He paced about for a bit in his undershirt and shorts, irritated that the men would not let him out of the room. When he attempted to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.

He would never tell Lance the effort to open the door caused him to fall on his ass. As far as anyone was concerned, that never happened.

After a solid chunk of time spent alternating between thinking, planning, and cursing, he realized he was trapped for the night. Once he came to that conclusion, he began to explore the room, opening every door. After awhile, he located the restroom, closet, and what seemed to be a storage closet. The restroom was an anomaly of its own; almost every toilet in his home city was outdoors. None had the strange stone bowls that would spew water when a lever was pushed. Even stranger was the tub; it had a faucet above. When the handle below it was turned it poured out water. It was a strange thing, really. Keith put two and two together, figuring that this must be how heavenly creatures bathed. He let the water run while he searched through the cabinets attached to the counter for soap. After a bit, he had found the bar, raising it up triumphantly when he found it along with the bonus find of a washcloth. He stripped the rest of his clothes and stepped into the bath-rain-thing? Dear Gods the water was cold, he tried turning the handle to the right and it warmed up. Then it burned him.

Demon bath.

After a while, he finally found a good temperature and relaxed. He lathered his body, scrubbing away all the dirt and grime, cleaning the minor cuts he got in the fight while he was at it. He was tempted to stay in the water forever, in a small place of warmth and peace, but he knew better. He worked up the strength to step out into the steam.

Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to bring a pair of clean clothes.

He huffed in frustration moving to the bedroom to collect those clean clothes. He opened the wardrobe and picked out a pair of underwear and loose shorts. Once dressed, he moved back to the bathroom to collect his things and use the restroom. He picked his shirt off of the floor and used it to wipe off the mirror, clearing the reflection of his face.

_What. The. Fuck._

He dropped his shirt and ran his shaking hand along the purple mark on his cheek. It ran from his cheekbone down to his neck and collarbone, stopping just below where he could look at it himself. His heart raced. This wasn’t here yesterday, and he was sure he scrubbed away all the dirt on his face. Then he remembered what Lotor said

_“_ _Well any part of your… let’s say heritage, that you don’t know will be revealed to you.”_

There was no way this was because of his heritage. He hailed from the village east of Shiro’s, his father was a farmer, his mother… well he had seen the paintings his father made of her and she was clearly human. The only strange feature about her could be found in the stories his father told of her. How she would disappear for months on end only to return with various blades to give him as gifts, or how she left after giving birth to Keith, leaving her knife, a slate blue blade with a glowing purple insignia on the hilt. When his father died of a strange illness he gave his son the blade along with all of the money his family had. He had never seen such a blade, it never required sharpening or polishing to keep it from rusting. Keith rummaged around in his armor pile, pulling out the knife, unwrapping it from its the cloth strips.

The blade had always felt foreign to him, and as such, he gave himself the quest of finding its origin. To his luck, his father moved his family to the city of Naxzela and purchased land for a farm, allowing his son to enroll in the Academy instead of following in his own footsteps to become a farmer. This gave him the time outside of studying to find the origins of the knife, asking every blacksmith and bladesman, eventually leading him to the Takashi household, where he met the master swordsman, Itsuki, and his son, Shirogane. Itsuki told him he had never seen a knife like that, and to hide it from the eyes of the Gods. He told him that if he ever saw that knife again he would report the foreign blade to the druids. Shiro apologized for the curtness of his father, and secretly trained him how to use the blade. His father fell ill six months after he met Shiro, dying not long after becoming bedridden. Shiro took Keith under his wing, helping him manage the farm his father left to him, training him during the cool of evening, and studying with him at dawn when he joined the boy for breakfast. Through everything he had gone through the blade was always at his side. He felt a deep connection to it because of this.

Maybe then, if he was part heavenly species, it was only a small portion, and this was a heirloom from long ago. He should try and keep this under wraps though, no one really knew how the Gods felt about mixed breeds. Keith wrapped the knife back up and put it back in its sheath. He made his way to the bed and fell into it, the physical exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him and forcing him into a slumber.

* * *

 

Keith woke up to banging on his door.

“KEITH, I WAS TOLD YOU WERE IN HERE!” Lance’s voice filled the room. “ONE OF THOSE PURPLE DUDES WANTED ME TO TELL YOU WE HAVE THREE HOURS TO GET READY!” Keith groaned, rising from his bed. He moved to the door, lightly brushing his hand on the knob before letting his hand fall to his side.

He can’t let anyone see the mark on his cheek.

“KEITH THE DOORS WERE UNLOCKED THIS MORNING, I AM COMING IN!”  Lance swung open the door, Keith just barely jumping out of the way to dodge the impact. The Blue Paladin walked in and slammed the door shut behind him. “Have you tried the baths? the servant I talked to called them showers!” He walked right past Keith without really looking at him.

“Lance. Leave.” Keith backs away slightly.

“What’s wrong, Grumpy Pants?” Lance turned, his eyes meeting with Keith’s before looking down at the mark that traced down the red paladin’s neck. A small gasp escaped him, barely audible over the plate falling and breaking on the floor. “Keith-”

“Shut up. No one can know about this.” Keith got into Lance’s face, who held up his hands in surrender.

Lance shook his head “No, no. I think I can help.” Keith scowled “No really! I mean it! Stay right here, I am going to go get some stuff from my room.”

The blue paladin rushed out of the room, leaving Keith to himself. Gods, Lance was a more like a bored wife when it came to gossip. If he got any tasty tidbit, he would tell everyone. He was fucked. He was going to be exposed to everyone. The Gods might just kill him on the spot, ridding themselves of a mutt.

A few minutes later, Lance burst through the door, a bag slung on his shoulder; making sure to close the wooden entrance behind him before he made his way into the room. He rushed to the bathroom, calling Keith to follow him.

“I have amazing skin, as you know.” He smiled at Keith, who looked unamused. “But even I, the amazing, handsome Lance McClain, gets dirt in their pores and break out.” He pulls out a few bottles and boxes out of the bag. “And I have makeup to cover it.” He held a few bottles up to Keith.

“What are you doing?” Keith watched as Lance grabbed his wrist and dabbed a bit of the contents onto the skin, nodding in approval.

“Finding the right tone for the concealer. Don’t worry, I got it from the same store as my mom and older sister. I bought almost every shade they had a while back to make sure I could help everyone.” He set the bottle aside before picking out another. “This is primer. sit still while i put it on your face- meditate or something.” Keith obliges, sitting patiently while Lance applies it. Once lance was finished rubbing the primer into Keith’s face, he grabbed a different bottle. “I am going to apply the concealer. Keep staying still.” He applied it, then blended it. “Let it sit, just don’t rub that area.”

“Thanks.” Keith opened his eyes to meet Lance’s blue ones.  
“Your Welcome Keith… are you sure you want to keep this a secret, even from Shiro?”

“Yeah… If the Gods find out… who knows what they will do.”  He studied the floor of the bathroom. “The less people who know, the better.”

“I get it. Hey, we got about two hours and thirty minutes to get ready for an appearance with Lotor’s Dad, you should probably throw a tunic or something on.” Lance smirked as Keith glared at him, giving a nervous chuckle before throwing everything in his bag and awkwardly exiting the room. Keith held his breath until he heard the door close, letting the air rush out of his lungs not a second after. He shook his head as he stood, he was overthinking Lance not telling him he was shirtless. He probably didn’t think anything of it, after all Lance was never the one to mind nudity.

Keith pushed the thoughts out of his head, bottling them up and pushing them aside for him to deal with in the future. He needs to get ready.

 

* * *

 

Lance careened down the hallway, only stopping to open his door, slamming it once he was inside. He grasped at either side of his head, pulling at his hair. He needed the pain to distract himself from the warmth in his chest, the thoughts racing in his head. This was dangerous, he could be stoned to death for even admitting what he was feeling right now. So he tried to ignore it, refusing to admit it to himself, but he couldn’t fool himself. It couldn’t be that he was sick; this realm seemed to possess healing powers- repaired and disinfected the wounds he earned fighting for Yellow and Red. It couldn’t be that he was insane. He would’ve noticed that by now. No. He had done something that could be the biggest mistake of his life.

He had new feelings for Keith. Not their rivalry, not their friendship, but the red paladin himself. The way he felt towards Keith was like nothing he had felt before, but it was not yet a roaring fire. It was the flame delicately burning on the wick of a candle, one strong gust of wind would blow it out, yet it was still hot. It still burned with intensity and purpose, ready to grow if presented with the right fuel. Panicking, he thought back to the druids sentencing a man to stoning in front of the main temple. They claimed they saw him lying with another man, and he was forced to watch the brutal execution. He would pray later that day, promising to never stray into that path.

Gods… He was so off, was this some kind of joke?

Lance decided that he needed to fix himself, changing the subject in his head. He moved to the mirror, readjusting his hair and tucking in the blue tunic he put on. After a quick stretch and an over-the-top yawn, he left the bathroom and found his way into the hallway; walking face first into Hunk’s chest.

“Oh! Hey Lance!” Hunk beamed with excitement. “Some purple lady yelled at me to find Shiro and Pidge, Lotor wants to see us all before we meet his dad. She said you were with Keith.” Lance managed a half baked answer, covering his panic over this morning’s realizations.

“I just woke him up, he was out cold. Never seen him sleep in so late. I told him what was going on, then left so he could get ready.” Lance gave Hunk a convincing smile, excited that the Yellow Paladin didn’t question it.

“I get it. I just can’t wait to try the cuisine here.”

“Yeah I bet it will be _divine_ ” Lance leaned against a wall as Hunk threw his head back and groaned.

“Laaaaaaance!”

“Okay, Okay, I’m sorry, no more puns I promise.” He was not sorry, nor would he ever stop the puns. “Where are Shiro and Pidge, I want to scare them awake.”

“Oh, about three doors down.” He and Hunk crept up on the door, turning the knob to find it unlocked, giving a snarky look to the larger Paladin, Lance opened to door only to gasp.

“What is it-” Hunk walked behind Lance to look inside to be cut off at the sight before them.

Their precious, tiny Pidge was cuddled up to Shiro, who was on his back. Her head lay on his chest along, her hand splayed on his chest, while his arm wrapped around her small frame. He promised he wouldn’t touch her, Lance knew what he had to do. He slowly approached the two, before he let out a loud yell.

“SHIRO SO HELP ME GODS YOU SO MUCH AS KISSED HER IN A WAY SHE DIDN’T WANT I WILL-”

Shiro shot up and had his hand on Lance’s mouth. His face was redder than Lance had ever seen on the level headed soldier. Pidge looked equally red in the face, picking up a pillow and launching it at Hunk.

“Hey! I didn’t say anythi-” He was silenced by another pillow making contact with his face.

“You let him do it!” Her voice did nothing to hide how flustered she was.

“What were you guys doing anyway?” Lance asked the moment he thought to simply pull his face back from Shiro’s hand.

“That is none of your business, Lance. Why are you here?” Shiro’s voice was stern, a sign that Lance should cut his losses and give up that line of questioning.

“Lotor wanted us to meet him before we meet his dad.” Lance gave an exaggerated look of disgust. “You two need to bathe.” Shiro rose out of bed, stretching and groaning as his back cracked.

“Can you show us how to use the tub?” Shiro spoke while twisting his back.

“Yeah, sure, Pidge you can use the one in my room if you want.” Lance just couldn’t shake the idea of Shiro and Pidge sharing a bed… it rubbed him the wrong way. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head before continuing. “Just turn the handle on the faucet, left makes it hot, right makes it cold, and pulling the little lever thing on the spout makes the water come out from above. There should be soap in the cabinets.” After a bit of awkward shuffling about, Pidge was being taken to Lance’s room with a black dress and shoes, while Hunk stayed with Shiro to help him dress after bathing.

“I had a bad dream.” Pidge stated simply once they arrived at Lance’s door. “He comforted me and he was warm so I cuddled up to him like I used to do when Matt helped with my nightmares. I don’t even think he was awake enough to remember it when it happened.”

“Oh.” Lance opened the door, avoiding eye contact. “Umm bathroom is in the same place as your room. I think I left the soap on the side of the tub.” Pidge nodded and mumbled a thanks before moving into the bathroom. Lance sat on the bed and let himself roam in his thoughts. Pidge was acting weird- she was not as independent as usual, relying a bit more on Shiro. Maybe it's because she found someone to confide in for the first time since Matt’s death? Which, knowing her, is a possibility. She always had a strong bond with Shiro through Matt, but that doesn’t explain sharing his bed. Pidge hated most things about marriage, including the idea of not having her own bed on which to study her scrolls and books.

Maybe, just maybe, Pidge actually harbored romantic feelings for Shiro. The gears in Lance’s head started turning. That was it wasn’t it. Oh Gods! He could see it, how close they had been recently. He grinned, rubbing his hands together diabolically. Pidge squirmed so easily, and this, no doubt would be key in his teasing. Said girl got dressed and the open door abruptly, surprising the blue paladin.

“I never thought I would say this, but I miss the color green.” Pidge stretched as she spoke, her spine cracking as she did so.

“Shiro not good back support?” Lance tilted his head back to look at her.

“No kidding, you would think he would be.” The two fell into a comfortable silence for a moment as Lance held off on his teasing.  “Where are we heading now?”

“To talk to Lord Grumpiness himself.”

“Lotor?” Pidge gave him her usual _‘done with your bullshit’_ look.

“Yeah, he’s all, ‘ _I am royalty, and as such I have a great destiny to rule the known world and refuse to ever take the three foot long stick out of my butt.’”_ Lance imitated the prince’s strange accent and strict posture as he walked around. _“‘Oh Voltron, you must go fulfill some quest, and do something that I can’t because I am too busy being better than you.’”_

Pidge snorted and walked toward the door, opening it and walking into the hallway, beginning to imitate Lotor as well. “‘ _Oh, and forget that you have lives outside me, or need time to process losing everything you once had in one day. Since I need you to go wake up some ancient dragons.’”_ Lance laughed as he joined her in the hallway, beginning to lead her down it, following the directions he was given by the purple lady. After a left, a right, and a final left they found themselves walking down a large hallway towards two massive purple doors. Lance looked at Pidge, cocking an eyebrow, the girl shrugging in return. Lance reached out and pressed his hands to the door. They swung open automatically, causing him to jump back and hide behind Pidge.

“Really Lance?” Pidge’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Let’s just forget about that.” He rubbed the back of his head, jumping when Hunk’s voice rang out.

“Nope, never forgetting that one.” Hunk was sitting at the table, Keith to his left and Shiro to his right.

“Didn’t know you were so scared Lance?” Keith teased, leaning back slightly in his chair.

“Hey! No one expects such a big door to snap open like that!” Lance exclaimed as he took his seat besides Keith, who rolled his eyes.

“Suuuuure.”

“When’s breakfast?” Pidge asked, plopping down besides Shiro.

“My question exactly.” Hunk put his chin on the table pouting. “They wake us up early, only for us to sit at a table and wait for food. This is torture.”

“You’ll survive.” Shiro patted the larger Paladin on the back. “I think we are waiting for Lotor, I am sure we can eat when he decides to make an appearance.”  

“I will not survive, I haven’t eaten since… since I don’t know when.” The groan escaping Hunk’s lips warranted a chuckle from the other Paladins. Silence fell on the group, only for it to be killed by the large doors swinging open, and a familiar accent ringing through the air.

“I am glad you see you up early.” Lotor, his skin now stained purple, the group too tired and weirded out by this strange place to really question it, took his seat at the head of the table, waving in servants who set down plates of food in front of his guests. On the plate were some familiar foods: scrambled eggs, bread, butter, joined by new foods. There were pastries of sorts with square holes in them, long strips of meat that tasted delectable, with a cup of a black liquid.

“What is this?” Hunk moaned as he tucked into his food.  
“The meat is called bacon, it comes from an animal called a pig. The pastry is called a waffle. I found them on my visit to North America. Sadly we do not have maple syrup here, but butter should suffice.” Lotor explained as he buttered his waffle. “The brown liquid is called coffee, it helps wake you up. Without milk and sugar, it can be quite bitter, so if you like I can request some for you.” At that note, Shiro tried his coffee, smacking his lips a bit.

“It tastes fine to me.” He gave the team an encouraging smile. “Try it.”

All Hell broke loose. Lance faked gagging noises, Hunk swallowed and choked out a thank you with a scrunched up face, Pidge pushed the mug further away from her. Keith was the only one who could tolerate it, rolling his eyes at everyone else's dramatic reactions.

Lotor raised his hands and addressed the servant that approached, asking for milk and sugar for their coffee.

“When will we be meeting with your father?” Shiro asked waving away the servant who tried to pour the milk into his drink.

“Shortly after breakfast,” Lotor wiped away the food on his lips. “Please be on your best behavior, my father can be rather short tempered”

“Of course, right guys?” Shiro dropped his tone on the last part, glancing at everyone.

“We all know Lance is going to be the one to act out.” Keith leaned back in his chair.

“Hey!” Lance glared at Keith, who met him equally.

Shiro was too old for this shit.

“Alright, do I need to separate you two?”

“No.” They said in unison.

“Good. now finish your breakfast _without fighting_.”

The rest of the meal continued on in silence with the occasional joke from Lance or Hunk, or Pidge rambling for a few seconds at a time about her father’s inventions. Once the meal was eaten Lotor rose from his chair.

“Follow me, do not ever fall behind.” He turned on his heel and walked out the door, the Paladins following behind him. The long strides and fast steps made it hard for Pidge’s short legs to keep up, so she was half walking- half jogging to stay at Shiro’s side. The sound of shoes echoed off the walls of the castle, the empty corridors twisting and turning like a maze. Purple light drifted through the halls,  giving the castle a gloomy feel. Lotor abruptly came to a halt in front of ornate doors.

“I want Shiro right behind me, Pidge to his left, Keith to his right, Hunk behind Pidge, and Lance behind Keith.” They shuffled into formation, following Lotor’s instructions. “I am going to open the door, and you are going to follow me and kneel when I kneel. This doesn’t have to be difficult.” Lotor pushed on the door, swinging it open and began his brisk pace.

Shiro couldn’t believe what he saw. At the end was a large purple throne, sitting on it was a galra who could easily be a solid foot taller than himself. As they approached, a voice rang out.

“Lotor and the Paladins of Voltron!” Gods now they were being announced as Paladins of Voltron! This had potential to be disastrous. He gulped as he saw Lotor kneel, doing so as well.

“Lotor, have you forgotten how to read.” The galra on the throne leaned forward.

“Father-”

“YOU ARE NOT MY SON!” The galra slammed his fist down. “I refuse to have a failure like you tarnishing my bloodline. Has your time as Prince of Altea not taught you any lessons!?”

“Emperor Zarkon,God of Life, King of Gods. I thought you could use Voltron.” Lotor’s voice dripped with an emotion Shiro didn’t know it could.

Fear.

Shiro’s heart stopped along with Lotor’s voice. They were kneeling to the King of Gods himself. This very well could be his last day.  Shiro watched in horror as Zarkon regarded him with the look of a predator. Almost like a dragon that had found a weak deer in the forest.

“I could have a use for them if he wasn’t broken.” Zarkon’s tone was harsh.

“We can fix that! Haggar has been working on making limbs from metal and quintessence!” Lotor defended his plan. Shiro had the feeling that Lotor would be killed if he couldn’t prove the Paladins of use the the God.

“If she is willing to give him an arm, I have a mission for them.” Zarkon leaned back in his throne. “This is your last chance Lotor.”

“Yes, I-” Lotor began.

“Ulaz, take the broken one to Haggar, Sendak escort the group to wherever you see fit. Keep them out of trouble. Lotor, stay here. Maybe you can redeem yourself.”

“Yes. Of course.” Lotor bowed his head as Ulaz and Sendak approached the Paladins. Shiro felt Ulaz’s firm grip on his arm as he was pulled up and lead away from his team.

“Rise and follow me.”   Sendak’s commanding tone made Keith want to defy him. The idea of having to obey him left a nasty taste in his mouth, but he pushed it down. Defiance was not an option here if he wanted to leave this place alive. He stood and followed Sendak as close as he could, noting that his left arm had been replaced with one that married magic and science into a piece of technology unlike any he had ever seen. Was this what Shiro was going to get? He couldn’t imagine Shiro with this type of technology attached to him, no matter how strong it would make him. Speaking of which, how strong was Sendak? He watched carefully as Sendak moved, looking for any weakness he may have. His strides were even, not favoring any side more than the other. He looked alert and ready to fight no matter the situation, not one to space out and be suprised by an ambush. The only potential weakness would be the thin current of what looked like purple lightning that attaches the arm to his body, perhaps it could be cut if he was fast enough to avoid the attacks? Probably a move best suited for Pidge, who was small enough to dodge attacks with ease. His assessment came to an end as Sendak opened a door and herded the four paladins in the inside of a mysterious room. the interior looked like a library of sorts, containing scrolls and books in hundreds of languages he had never even seen. There were no windows for escapes. An open door on the right of the room lead to what looked to be a restroom, however, there still no windows in there as well. The only way out would be though Sendak.

Great.

“Stay here and entertain yourself. I will be on the other side of this door; if you try to leave, I _will_ kill you.” Sendak slammed the door, leaving the four of them in silence.

“He must be the life of the party!” Lance quipped.

Keith was going to strangle someone before long.

* * *

 

Shiro followed Ulaz closely, down corridor after corridor. Eventually they reached a room filled with Galra in the same druid robes that high priests would wear. Guess that explains their strange fashion.

“Sit up here.” One pointed to the cold steel table. Once up, he was pushed onto his back and strapped down. “Wait for Haggar, she will answer your questions.” Well, what else could Shiro do? He was currently strapped down on a table. He shot Ulaz a questioning look, the said galra approached and quietly whispered.

_“I promise you will survive this, its just going to hurt.”_

Not very comforting, but at least he knew he was going to live. Probably. The door hissed open and a older woman walked in, carrying a metallic arm. She was hunched and wrinkled, the hood obscuring her face to him. This must be Haggar.

“I now see why Lotor requested an arm in this size.” She seemed distant, not paying much attention to Shiro. “Why am I here? a blind child could do this operation.” Her harsh tone made him shutter. She might be old, but Shiro knew it was best not to fight her.

“Lotor requested you do it-”

“And who put him in charge?” Haggar snapped at the druid who instantly flinched back.

“No one, I am sorry.”

“Do this yourself, he won’t need sedatives for this. If he dies it will show I can find more use for you as a subject than a druid.” She turned and walked out the door.

So much for answering his questions.

“Begin the operation.” One druid said. He heard a whining sound then felt searing pain course through his body.

He screamed.

* * *

 

They had been in the room for hours, it didn’t take long for Pidge to locate a section of the library that contained books in their language. She blocked out the sound of bickering from Keith and Lance, focussing on her studies. She discovered many things not available to her on Earth. Stories that vaguely covered a great war between the Gods for the throne. Names were blacked out on the pages, redacted and censored.

Why?

Why censor your own history? What did the Gods have to hide? What was the source of their shame?

Maybe it was fear, not shame. Either way, the war seemed violent and deadly; entire heavenly species went extinct. One of the few uncensored names caught her eye.

Voltron.

She knew from the books at home that one story of Voltron being banned was how it was used against a King of Gods, but that was one of many, a theory thrown around by religious scholars and priests. Now it seemed more likely.

_Paladins of old, splintered and forgotten rose up to take their thrones._ She read to herself. _But two refused their spot, vollying for the great Throne of Life. How great the battle was, Fire and Sky clashing. ---- won, sentencing ----- to rule the Throne of Death, no longer allowed to sit on the Throne of ----._ So the Paladins of Sky and Fire fought to be King of Gods? Who sided with who? Who won? What does “Take their thrones” mean? She needed more information on this, but everything was either missing important pages, or written in ancient languages that she could not understand. She groaned with frustration.

“You’d think some heavenly library would hold information but everything is redacted!” She threw the book on the ground.

“Hey, maybe it's something we shouldn’t know- maybe you should be happy that you don’t know. if they are hiding it, they might kill you if you knew.” Hunk tried to reason with her.

“Pidge, don’t dig around in other’s archives.” Keith gave her a stern look.

“Who died and made you leader?” Pidge gave him a defiant look. Lance moved to Pidge’s side.

“I stand with Pidge on this.” He crossed his arms. “We are being used by Gods, we deserve to know why.”

“Who says the reason why is in the books.” Keith took a step forward.

“I thought you were the smart one. You saw Zarkon’s face, he has it out for someone.” Lance crossed his arms.

“I am the smart one, we shouldn’t risk our lives for information we don’t need.” Keith almost growled. Pidge stepped back.

What had gotten into those two? They were either best buddies,  or at each other’s throat. Hunk stepped in between the two, about to speak up when Lotor walked in, supporting a weak Shiro. The Paladin’s right arm slung around Lotor’s shoulder along with a large bag.

_Wait, right arm?!_

Keith ran and draped Shiro’s left arm over his shoulder, helping support the man.

They placed him on an old chair. He looked physically weak, but he was mentally there. He also had a white streak at the front of his hair; how had he managed that?

“How do you feel?” Keith asked, staring at the metal arm on the man he considered his brother.

“Tired, but hey, I got an arm.” He flexed the metal, a small whirring noise was produced as his arm moved.  Shiro was trying to let the group know he was fine with the small joke, but none of them seemed to care. Laying comforting hands on his shoulders, followed by hugs.

“I hate to ruin such a precious moment, but you need to leave.”

Lotor’s voice was cold and composed.

“Shiro needs rest.” Keith’s replied sharply.

“He can get that on your flight, if you don’t follow your quest you will be killed.” Lotor warned. “Language will not be an issue, you have been blessed by The God of Knowledge. You will understand anyone you come across, no matter what tongues they speak.” Pidge tilted her head, grabbing a book and gasping. she could understand it. The squibbles were replaced with the alphabet she grew up with. _A History of the Altean Continent._

“This is incredible, I can read-”

“You do not have time.” Lotor interjected, taking off the bag and dropping it to the floor. He pulled out four things that resembled the hilt of a sword.

Just like from their dreams.

He handed them to their respective Paladins, colors matching that of their dragons.

“Shiro, the black bayard is missing. You will have to do without. For the rest of you, the bayard will require a weapon of yours to be given to it for it to accept you. It must be one you prize.” Lotor spoke as if this was normal, everyone else couldn’t wrap their mind around it, but at this point, anything was possible. “Servants have cleaned out your rooms and packed your things into your saddle bags. They should bring your armor and any weapons of yours soon.”

“What does Zarkon want of us?” Shiro asked, his voice scratchy from the screaming.

“I will tell you when you leave this place.” Lotor turned his back on the Paladins. “I will say that you won’t like it.”  He left the library, almost running.

“Well that was weird.” Lance scratched the back of his head.

“Everything here is weird.” Pidge muttered in response as she stared at Shiro. She knew better than to ask what happened in the operating room. It was best for her to let him come out about that in time. Keith leaned back on a bookshelf besides her and Shiro.

“Gods have always been weird with their demands and sacrifices.” The Red Paladin studied the shocked looks on the faces of his comrades. No one had bothered to say such blasphemous things. He couldn’t help it though, he was never one to blindly follow the Gods, always having some form of doubt after all that happened to him.

“Keith, I will always support you and your opinion.” Shiro began slowly. “But this is not the place, we could be killed here for your beliefs.” Shiro was right, this place was full of arrogant deities and strict traditions. Keith pursed his lips and remained tense.

The door opened as servants came in, bearing weapons and suits of strange armor. Keith recognized his broadsword and his belt containing his knife. it had yet to be removed from the sheath it sat it.

Thank the Gods.

What he assumed was his armor consisted of a black bodysuit and a white chest plate with a red V. The chest plate went to about halfway down his abdomen. It was accented with red along the plating and shoulders. There was light armor along the arms and legs. The helmet was of similar design as well. He glanced around, finding that Hunk’s yellow armor had a similar color scheme and accents, but a full chest plate, with full leg and arm coverage, Lance’s had slightly less coverage on his arms, supposedly for mobility. Pidge’s was similar to his in coverage, just green. Shiro’s was a balance between the two. He had a similar chest plate to Keith, if not a little larger, but had less leg coverage, giving him more mobility overall. He was also missing the armor for his right arm, probably for the replacement.

This was it. Pidge grabbed her armor and excused herself to the restroom to slip into the armor. Keith moved to assist Shiro, but he held out a hand.

He wanted to do this himself.

They watched as the Black Paladin stood, stripping down to reveal the V on his chest. Hunk was the first to show his, on his left ankle. Yellow with orange on the inside, the image inside reminded the group of sand being blown across a desert. Keith showed his next, the red V on his right wrist that seemed to show flames raging inside. Lance showed the group his mark blue with waves moving on the inside.

“Does Pidge have one?” Keith asked as he moved to start putting on his armor, breaking the silent moment of understanding between them.

“Yes.” Shiro said, turning from them to take off the rest of his clothes and move into the body suit. With some effort, he got himself into the chest plate to encounter that it wasn’t quite metal or leather. It was something in between. He would look further into it later. Piece by piece, he suited up, turning around to find the others putting on the rest of theirs.

Now they really looked like Paladins.

“Pidge you can come out now!” Shiro called to her, and she walked out of the restroom, new confidence in her strides.

“Man it's good to be back in green, and in pants!”

“Do dresses suck that much?” Lance cocked an eyebrow.

“They make me feel too exposed.” She responded in a matter of fact voice.

“I wanna try this bayard thing!” Lance grabbed his Blue one, and found his brother’s bow. Lance knew that Marco would want this, to have his bow segmented in legends. He pressed its frame to the bayard, watching it glow. It absorbed the bow, and hummed contently in his hand. Within seconds it sprung to life, transforming into a bow that resembled his brother’s, carvings and all. He willed it to turn back into its hilt state.

Pidge pressed her dagger into her bayard and watched as it did the same as Lance’s. Hunk followed suit with his warhammer. Keith pressed his broadsword into the bayard and smiled as it transformed. They packed up the rest of the weapons in the bags they came from, and opened the door to find Sendak.

“We are going to the hangar.” Sendak took off, breaking into a run.

Keith watched Shiro closely, he struggled to keep up but did so despite the challenges he faced. Pidge’s short legs were forced to work twice as hard as the rest of them. Hunk looked winded after the third corridor. Lance had that stupid dorky grin.

No, Keith did not like it, it annoyed him. Despite his internal mantra, the sight gave him more energy to burn during his run. They stopped at the hangar entrance where Lotor was waiting holding a package.

“In here is all the information you will need, as well as a spell that will allow Voltron to exit the boundary between Altea and the rest of the world.” He pressed the package into Shiro’s hands. “You are to assassinate a God. It’s identity and suspected location as well as all relevant information are inside. I would recommend waiting until you are on a continent outside of Altea before opening it. No one can know of what you are doing, it would cause a revolt amongst the priests.”

Shiro gave a curt nod, shaking Lotor’s hand and thanking him. The hangar door opened, revealing the Yellow Dragon. He nodded to Hunk, who ran forward to get to Yellow. The rest of the group sprinted across the hangar, down a hall to Green. Pidge split off, allowing remaining three to reach the Black Dragon’s hangar.

“I know you will be great. Both of you have come so far.” Shiro said, pulling the two of them into a tight hug, before jogging to reach Black. Keith and Lance took off, running down a corridor. They reached Red, and Lance was about to take off when Keith grabbed his wrist.

“Thank you, for all you’ve done. For keeping my secret.”

This surprised Lance, rarely did Keith seem so… open.

“Of course, I’m not a dick.” Lance joked before running to Blue, climbing onto the saddle, and stroking her neck. She sent a warmth through the connection to him.

_Let's do this!_ Lance thought as the Hangar doors opened, he heard the symphony that the wind created as Blue ran and took off, rushing into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my wonderful Beta, FlowerHoarder for keeping this from being absolute garbo. She is the yee to me haw  
> Sorry to the like 8 people who read this, I had a lot of life and adulting happen and I needed a break, so I took one. I am back though with a refreshed mind and a lot healthier.


End file.
